Ticket prices for world-famous French landmark, the Eiffel Tower, are set to rise by 20% in mid-June, ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games. The increase will help to pay for essential renovations to the lattice-work monument and contribute to a hole left in its finances by Covid-19 losses.
Over 100 euros for a family of four
From 17 June 2024, an adult entry to the tower will go up from €29.40 to €35.30. Children’s ticket prices are also set to rise, with kids over four costing €8.90 and 12- to 14-year-olds paying €17.70. This could take the raw outlay for a family of four including two teenagers to over 100 euros.
The price hike has become necessary after a fall in visitor numbers during restrictions associated with the pandemic. That dry spell in 2020 saw just 1.6 million visitors, less than a third of the figure welcomed in 2019. The situation was little better in 2021, causing the Societé d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) to report a “significant loss of revenue” of around 120 million euros in both years. While numbers recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 and the Olympics are set to bring in even more in 2024, due to operating costs around three times that of turnover in both those years, the tower is now in deficit, SETE has said.
To help the monument’s finances recover, besides the rise in ticket prices, Paris City Council has agreed to lower the annual charge SETE pays as an operator.
Paint, lead prevention and elevator work
Unions should welcome both developments. There has been industrial action among tower staff as they have pushed for major maintenance work, including a fresh lick of paint on the 300-metre iron giant, which has gone without its supposedly seven-yearly anti-rust treatment since 2010. It was supposed to be painted a new shade of gold in time for the Olympics, but that plan was setback by Covid and by the discovery of lead in old layers of paint that were being scraped away.
In addition to the paint job and “lead prevention measures” which are now likely to go on until 2027, renovations are set to include work on the structure’s elevators which will entail parts of the tower at least being closed temporarily to public access.
