Riots threaten tourism.

The French business community has expressed concern about the effect the past days of violence in the capital and throughout France will have on the economy. Foreign investment, which had already registered a decline over the past year, could be further hit and consumer confidence in the vital last quarter of the year in the run-up to Christmas could also suffer. Tourism is another sector potentially at risk following warnings from a number of countries including Australia, Britain, Canada, the United States, Germany, Japan and Spain to their nationals regarding travel to Paris. Tourism minister Leon Bertrand has claimed that France is still safe for visitors although he admits that the riots could cause problems for the tourism industry in the future. Bertrand also criticized the foreign media for exaggerating the size and scope of the unrest. France is the worlds most popular tourist destination with 75 million visitors annually.