Is now a good time to go on vacation in the French capital?

For all that worry about high prices and big crowds before the Olympics, now might be an unexpectedly good time to vacation in Paris.

Hotels and restaurants have told the BBC they have lowered their prices to attract customers – after what some have called a “catastrophic” drop in footfall during the Olympics has left them questioning what the games are for.

The French capital may seem like the epicenter of the world to those watching the show on television – but the city’s quiet streets and empty restaurant tables tell a different story.

Earlier this week, local media carried reports of Disneyland being “abandoned” and the delight of Parisians as they managed to get seats on the metro trains during rush hour.

So, what happened?

Analysts suggest that many Parisians have turned their backs on the city in droves for the summer, as is their custom. But again, some overseas visitors have been pressured by concerns about rising prices and overcrowding on an Olympic scale.

One of the locals who used the word “disaster” was a restaurateur called Lies in the bustling Latin Quarter, who said July was his worst month in 25 years. During the height of Covid, at least people continued to order food delivery, he told the BBC.

Tourists had been put off coming to the site due to restrictions placed on the site for last week’s opening ceremony, Lies said.

Another nearby restaurant that hung out at his door, Yarva, said that prospective visitors chose not to pay hotel prices that had multiplied several times before the Games.

The event was “only for the rich,” he said, and used his hand to indicate that he thought inflation was crazy.

Ahead of the Games, airlines have warned there is little demand for flights to Paris, with Delta and parent company Air France predicting an impact on their business.

“Unless you’re going to the Olympics, people don’t go to Paris,” a Delta executive told CNBC.

This was reflected in airfares that were below the average asking price for this time of year, according to travel expert Simon Calder, writing this week in the Independent.

Next-day one-way flights from UK cities were as low as £31 ($39) per adult (from Edinburgh) at the time of writing. However, tickets for Eurostar trains, last week affected by a sabotage attack on the French train network, were very high.

June and July had an “avoidance effect,” said Raphael Batko of hotel marketing firm Doyield, which represents about one in 20 hotels in the city. He also used the word “disaster” to describe the incident, although he said that tourist numbers have increased and are now satisfactory.

Similar avoidance has been observed in previous Olympics, including in London in 2012, where. Businesses suggested that the Games deter visitors and reduce their profits.

It remains to be seen whether the urgent action taken by the tourism industry will be enough to save the Olympic trade for many businesses in Paris.

With restaurants lowering their prices, it was now possible to get a meal for 8 euros (£6.80, $8.70) in the Latin Quarter, said Riad, owner of the Olympia Diner, as he tried to entice diners.

Hotels, too, have tried the same trick – mostly to return early increases that seemed to be too good. The tourism authority has confirmed that prices have returned to €258 (£219; $279) per night during the Games, following a huge increase which saw them increase by €342 last month.

The BBC observed that many of the Airbnbs on offer were advertising price reductions, although the company said prices had remained stable since the start of the year, and many locals were opening their homes in participating cities.

Individual hoteliers in Paris have reported varying degrees of success.

One reception manager, Dino, said bookings had reached normal levels – but it was only after prices were halved that things “looked bleak”.

Another, Isabelle, said that her price reduction did not work and lamented that “we gained nothing from the Olympics”.

Along with sports, there were many good reasons to come to the French capital in the summer, said Christophe Decloux, head of the Paris regional tourist board.

He cited the city’s rich cultural offerings, as well as smooth transportation and an atmosphere of “great joy” during the Games.

“Paris is usually quiet in late July and August because people go on vacation, and right now it’s quiet as usual in August except for some places around the area where people are playing sports. “

The organizers of Paris 2024 announced the positive results of the Paris Games following record ticket sales.

It is always possible to register to see the events, as tickets are released each day. About 800,000 of them are yet to be taken, organizers told the BBC on Friday.

The sporting spectacle itself is already proving memorable – and with some disgruntled businesses doing all they can to woo tourists, last-minute bookers to Paris may find themselves in for a treat.