With 560,000 establishments open to the public that are not accessible to people with disabilities, France “is not up to par”, said the resigning Minister Delegate for Tourism, Olivia Grégoire, on Tuesday.
“It’s nice to watch the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to applaud the Paralympic athletes, it’s even better if they can go to the cafes, hotels and restaurants and we’re not there yet,” said the resigning Minister Delegate during a press conference on the summer tourism report.
“We still have a bit of work to do on accessibility,” she said, recalling that of the 1.5 billion euros allocated during the interministerial committee on disability, “350 million were earmarked 18 months ago to support establishments open to the public, numbering 800,000 in our country.”
Around 560,000 establishments open to the public are not accessible in terms of mobility, according to Olivia Grégoire.
“A Mont Blanc to climb”
On the fund opened in the fall of 2023, “the State covers up to 50% of the costs incurred for making its business, café, hotel, restaurant accessible” with a ceiling of 20.00 euros”, she recalled. “Despite the strong communication, a little more than 500 application files have been submitted, this is not up to the effort that we must make”, added Olivia Grégoire.
“We still have, if not an Everest, at least a Mont Blanc to climb to be an inclusive society,” she said.
Furthermore, in July and August, “65% of French people went on holiday this summer, two points less than last summer but one point more than in 2022”, according to the resigning Minister Delegate, and 88% of them chose to stay in France.
During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, “international tourist numbers increased by 13% in Paris”, according to Olivia Grégoire, with air arrivals from China up by 43%, and from the United States and Japan by 13%.
International tourism revenues in July increased by 8%.
During the Olympic Games, “1.4 million French tourists” visited Paris, an increase of 27%,” added the resigning Minister Delegate.
