French military are patrolling the city’s streets, and the president has declared a state of emergency, while key tourist sites such as Disneyland Paris and the Eiffel Tower continue to remain closed until tomorrow as part of France’s mourning period.
However according to reports tourists have remained undeterred from visiting the UK’s most popular overseas city.
Kirker managing director Ted Wake told the Independent that although two Kirker customers who had been booked to travel to Paris on November 14 had decided to postpone, no-one had requested to come home early, and no future bookings had been cancelled.
"We spoke on Saturday to those due to travel in the next 10 days, and all felt - as we do - that it is too early to decide.”
Passengers due to travel with airlines and Eurostar at the weekend were offered the chance to defer their trips without penalty. However passengers have reportedly been urged to checkp-in earlier than usual due to tighter security.
However easyJet said only a few people had chosen not to travel to and from Paris over the weekend.”
The spokesperson also told the Independent that forward sales did not appear to be affected.
“It is early to say but at the moment we don’t see an impact on our bookings to and from Paris as a result of the terrorist attacks,” he added.
Flybe has extended for a further two days the chance for passengers to change their travel plans. “Any customer who is booked to travel to Paris on Monday or Tuesday (i.e. 16/17 November 2015) and who doesn’t wish to now do so may rebook a later date to any alternative destination or obtain a credit note for future travel,” the airline said.
Meanwhile tensions were heightened following the Paris attack, as thousands of people were evacuated from Gatwick’s north terminal on Saturday amid a security scare.
Journeys were disrupted and the terminal was closed for six hours while bomb-disposal officers carried out a controlled explosion on an object that had been dropped in a bin.
A French national was arrested on suspicion of firearms offences.
We have seen a similar defiance from British tourists before - it is less than five months since terrorists gunned down 30 British tourists in Sousse, Tunisia, but in recent weeks agents have told TTG that their customers are constantly asking about whether the FCO is likely to lift its restrictions. Despite the summer tragedy, it seems Brits are eager to return to Tunisia, and show their support for the many locals that rely on tourism. Paris is regularly voted the world’s number one tourist destination; one can only hope that travellers from around the world echo the actions of British tourists in continuing to visit the French capital, and ensure it remains so.
