Tourists return to Paris

The flow of tourists to Paris, many of them from Asia and the United States, dried up almost completely last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and governments around the world imposed travel restrictions.

With infection rates falling, France is gradually easing curbs. A mandate requiring people to wear masks outdoors has been dropped, and an 11:00 p.m. curfew was rescinded at the weekend.

That has brought some tourists back, though still in numbers well short of pre-pandemic levels.

"I have bought tickets two months ago because I was so optimistic that it will come true. And it did," said Olimpia Baranska-Maluszek, a tourist from Poland. "I am so happy. I am glad I am optimistic, you know."