The Eiffel Tower Operating Company (SETE) plans to increase the ticket prices for visiting the Parisian monument by approximately 20% to compensate for the economic losses caused by COVID-19.
The President of Sete, Jean-François Martins, has stated that the new entry fee will be implemented before or after the summer, depending on the duration of the negotiations. This price increase aims to realign the economic model of the tower, which suffered a loss of around 250 million euros due to the pandemic. The timetable for the implementation of the measure is yet to be finalized.
The Eiffel Tower is one of France's most popular tourist attractions, with over 6 million visitors in 2023. However, it is also one of the most expensive ones, with 29.40 euros to reach the summit by elevator. An alternative option is to take the staircase to the second floor and then the elevator, which reduces the price to 22.40 euros. Comparatively, the entry fee for the Versailles estate, which includes access to the castle, Trianon estate, and all the gardens, is priced at 24 euros in low season and 34 euros from the end of March to the end of October. Recently, the Louvre increased its full-price ticket from 17 to 22 euros. Private tourist sites, such as the Grévin Museum, offer tickets without reservation for 26.50 euros.
During a recent interview, Jean-François Martins made a statement regarding the desire of Minister of Culture Rachida Dati to designate the Eiffel Tower as a historic monument. The president of SETE supported the idea but added a condition to it. According to him, the monument should be restored to its state in 1889, when it was first built, without any vehicles around it. When a monument is classified as a historic site, its environment must be preserved, and making changes becomes difficult. Such a condition could align with the mayor of Paris's plans to pedestrianize the Pont d'Iéna and create a traffic-free promenade from the Place du Trocadéro to the Ecole Militaire.