France's rail network has been thrown into chaos today following a series of arson attacks, just hours before the nation officially opens the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Travelers have been advised to postpone their trips where possible following the incidents, which France's transport minister Patrice Vergrete has described as "coordinated malicious acts."
The arson attacks that occurred between 1 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. local time have affected several TGV lines in the country.
According to France's state-owned railway operator SNCF, its services are expected to be severely affected throughout the weekend after fires were set at various points along lines connecting Paris to the west, north and east. The fires appear to have targeted electrical or signaling boxes, according to reports.
An SNCF statement said: "Last night, SNCF was the victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines."
Jean-Pierre Farandou, the CEO of the SNCF told BFM TV" "I am thinking of all the French who won't be able to go on holiday today or those who will leave in worse conditions." Adding that the disruption will not be a quick solve. "It will certainly last the whole weekend, because it will take a long time to fix....it's a day of sadness today."
Eurostar faces significant disruption along the high-speed line connecting Paris and Lille. Delays are expected to extend the usual journey time by up to an hour and a half and have already forced a slew of cancellations.
Thus far, the Eurostar website shows extensive delays across all its services throughout today and at least 11 cancellations. The worst affected services currently appear to be connections between Brussels and Paris.
A Eurostar spokesperson said: "Due to coordinated malicious acts in France, affecting the high-speed line between Paris and Lille, all high-speed trains going to and coming from Paris are being diverted via the classic line today Friday 26 July."
"Eurostars teams are fully mobilised in stations, in the call centres, and onboard to ensure that all passengers are informed and can reach their destination."
The major European rail operator is encouraging its passengers to postpone their trips where they can and allowing its customers to cancel their trips free of charge and receive a full refund. Passengers are also informed that they can modify their journeys free of charge.
French-located flight hub EuroAirport Basel-Muhouse-Freiburg, jointly operated by France and Switzerland, temporarily grounded flights this morning following the evacuation and closure of its terminal due to "safety reasons" following a reported bomb alert, according to Reuters. It is unclear whether this is related to the earlier rail arson attacks,
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
I’m cheering from the banks of the Seine in a plastic rain poncho, my dress soaked and loafers sloshing. The rain has not let up once during the four-hour Opening Ceremony, but as we watch boatloads of beaming athletes float past us one by one waving their national flags, my smile could not be wider. By the time the evening comes to an end, Celine Dion is belting Hymne a l'amour from a glittering Eiffel Tower—some in the crowd cry, others dance, or FaceTime family—and a contagious sense of universal joy ripples across Paris.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departed the island for Paris, France yesterday (August 7) to attend the Olympic Games. While in Paris Minister Bartlett will be instrumental in promoting Jamaica as a premier tourist destination through the Jamaica Tourist Board’s (JTB) Jamaica House initiative.
A test run meant to allow athletes to familiarise themselves with the marathon swimming course in the Seine River was cancelled on Tuesday due to concerns about the quality of the Paris waterway.
France knocked out world and pan-American football champions Argentina after winning 1-0 in Bordeaux on Friday, in a heated game that ended with a massive brawl that followed more than ten minutes of stoppage time.
The arrival of the biggest summer sport events in Paris has led to a surge in hotel occupancy and room rates in the city in hotels using Mews. Occupancy rates for the next two weeks are 20% higher than in 2023, driven by last-minute bookings, which account for 35% of total occupancy during the sporty event. This is according to analysis by Mews, the cloud software for hotels, based on hundreds of Paris properties.
Major sports events attract not only fans but also tourists interested in experiencing the atmosphere and culture of the host city. For example, the Olympic Games or the UEFA Champions League offer the perfect occasion for tourists to explore the host cities while enjoying the sporting excitement. Civitatis, the leading curated online marketplace for guided tours and activities for Spanish and Portuguese-speaking consumers, recommends that tour and activity companies make the most of this growing segment and suggests a few strategies to leverage the rise of sports tourism:
The 2024 Olympics opened in Paris in spectacular style with thousands of athletes sailing along the River Seine past lively performers on bridges, banks and rooftops in an ambitious take on an opening ceremony.
Despite a recent agreement preventing an airport strike in Paris on 17 July, one union is still threatening to walk out in the lead up to the Olympic Games.
The Skift Travel Podcast is continuing its series on the Paris Olympics. This episode features a discussion with Patrick Mendes, Accor’s CEO for Europe and North Africa. Accor is an official partner for this year’s Games, as well as Europe’s largest hotel group.