Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, May 23, 2024.
CNN
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France’s iconic Eiffel Tower will increase admission prices by 20% to cover renovations and financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
BFMTV reports that the adult fare, which includes a lift ride to the top of the Paris landmark, will rise from 29.40 euros ($31.91) to 35.30 euros ($38.31) after June 17. The same ticket for children aged 12 to 14 will cost 17.70 euros ($19.21), while children aged four to 11 will pay 8.90 euros ($9.66) to go to the top of the tower.
According to a BFMTV report, the price hike is due in part to “significant revenue losses” caused by the “health crisis from 2020 to 2022.”
Fewer than 1.6 million people visited the Eiffel Tower in 2020, down from about 6.2 million the previous year, the tower’s operator said. The Eiffel Tower Development Association (SETE)The following year, visitor numbers were fewer than 2.1 million.
According to SETE, operating costs in both years were roughly three times Landmark’s total revenue.
BFMTV reports that renovations are also contributing to the increased costs, including “lead-proofing” related to painting the tower, which is expected to continue until 2027, as well as work on the elevators, which will mean occasional elevator closures.
CNN has reached out to SETE for comment.
