In Francethe protests for the retirement reform what drives the president Emmanuel Macron They generated a new market niche for tourism. It is about the piles of garbage that invade the city of Parisas a consequence of the strike of waste collection workers.
Tourists who walk through the “City of Lights” now take photos not only with the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Towerbut they also do it with the mountains of garbage that decorate the streets.
Paris, covered by garbage
On the banks of the Seine River, debris obscures the view of notre dame. To contemplate the famous cathedral built between the 12th and 14th centuries in the heart of the capital and damaged by a fire in 2019, one must abstract.
Tourists want to see the Eiffel tower from the impressive esplanade of Trocadero, but when they leave the subway, they must first go through a wall of plastic bags. In the center, the romantic alleyways are strewn with boxes and cardboard, sometimes with spoiled food.
In Parismunicipal garbage collection employees began their strike more than a week ago, which affects half of the capital.
The City of Light, which received some 34.5 million tourists in 2022 according to the authorities, registers significant social discontent against a reform promoted by the liberal president Emmanuel Macron, which is opposed by two out of three French people.
Garbage, the new tourist attraction of Paris
Martin Ruiz, an 18-year-old American, laments the smell: “It’s disgusting. The smell is unpleasant to be able to eat food or walk around the city,” he told AFP.
To force the government to back down, the unions intensified their actions last week with extendable strikes in key sectors such as energy and transport, after having organized massive demonstrations in January and February.
In total, 5,600 tons of garbage accumulated on Monday in the streets, according to the mayor’s office, a volume that increases every day. “Obviously, it is not the best for foreign tourists,” acknowledges Jean-François Rial, the president of the Paris Convention and Tourism Office, but “it will not damage the image” of the city.
“Even two weeks without garbage collection had not harmed Naples,” says the man, for whom the social conflict will not take its toll “on the tourist frequency of this wonderful city.”
Source: Ambito
