A million euros loss, increase in prices, poor condition… after six days of strike, the management of the Eiffel Tower is worried

La tour Eiffel est au cœur d'une vaste polémique sur son état et sa gestion financière. MAXPPP – Vincent Isore

After six days of closure due to a staff strike, the Eiffel Tower reopens to the public this Sunday, February 25.

After six days of strike, the Eiffel Tower can finally reopen to the public this Sunday, February 25. This exceptional closure should generate a million euros in ticketing losses, according to Jean-François Martins, president of the Eiffel Tower operating company interviewed on France Info. Even though people who had booked a ticket to visit the monument will be offered the reservation of a new slot, 100,000 visits were lost in total according to the company.

Rates increase by 20%

The 360 ​​employees of the building also alerted during the strike about the poor maintenance of the iron lady and the controversy grew. In recent days, photos of rust have been debated and many points of corrosion are visible. "It attacks the iron of the Eiffel Tower, and then it’s irreversible", lamented Denis Vavassori, CGT delegate of the Eiffel Tower at the microphone of France Info. For his counterpart Stéphane Dieu interviewed on BFMTV, a part has not been repainted for 14 years

If according to management, rust is not dangerous for the Eiffel Tower, painting would be very important in order to maintain its correct condition. For this reason, the tower is repainted every seven years. However, the last coat of paint, launched in 2019, was stopped during the health crisis, then slowed down as the Olympic Games approached. Today, only 30% of the painting has been redone and work should resume after the Olympics. However, the prices for visiting the monument will increase by 20% in the summer of 2024 .