For the most part, an influx of tourists generally brings a lot of good things to a locality and the residing community. From heightened exposure and financial investments to new jobs, tourism is mostly considered a boon. But what happens when the tourists become the dominant community in a region? Thanks to the Tour de France’s latest plans, the residents of Montmartre, France, are already bracing themselves for such a situation.
Like every year, thousands of cycling enthusiasts converged in the European nation to witness the oldest of the three Grand Tours: the iconic Tour de France. And like every year, the race so far has been sensational. There’s just one more stage to go before the men’s competition wraps up. But the locals of Montmartre aren’t exactly overjoyed by how the competition plans to reroute the final stage before culminating on the Champs-Elysée.
On July 26, an article in The Telegraph detailed how the Tour de France has created tension among the residents of the historic district in Paris. As per the report, “the final stage of the Tour de France will make a detour via Montmartre for the first time ever, before riders finish on the Champs-Elysées.” The announcement was made personally by President Emmanuel Macron.
But despite the enthusiasm of cycling connoisseurs about the Tour de France taking a detour through the picnic hilltop area, local residents aren’t pleased. And the frustration stems from the extra attention the area has been receiving since the 2024 Summer Olympics. “Montmartre has become an amusement park, and we are the attractions,” fumed Michèle Barrière, a resident of Montmartre, who is evidently displeased by how tourists outnumber the locals 423 to 1 in the area.
Tour de France 4éme etape Amiens Rouen PHOTOPQR/LE COURRIER PICARD/Haslin Gerberoy 08/07/2025 08/07/25 Cyclisme Tour de France 4ème etape Amiens Rouen Passage du peloton à Gerberoy Photo Fred Haslin – CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE 2025 The 112th edition of the Tour de France starts on Saturday 5 July in Lille, France, and will finish in Paris, France on the 27th of July Amiens Metropole to Rouen 2025/07/08 – Stage 4 Gerberoy 60 France PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxBELxSUIxUK Copyright: xPHOTOPQR/LExCOURRIERxPICARD/MAXPxHaslinx 20250708LCP7429 20250708LCP7429
Her sentiment is reflected among many others. “Before, it was mainly felt on weekends when the weather was nice. Since the end of the pandemic, and even more so since the Olympic Games [last summer], it’s been like this all year round,” grunted Eric Durand, a photographer and another fellow Montmartre resident. Naturally, it would seem like the Tour de France’s decision to remap the final stage of the iconic race isn’t sitting well with the people who have lived their entire lives in the Parisian district and remember the region before it was famous.
Movies like the 2001 release Amélie and the Netflix series Emily in Paris have only contributed to greater tourist numbers in Montmartre. Locations like the Café des Deux Moulins and the Wall of Love see more visitors from overseas than ever before. The situation is so severe that last year, the Sacré-Coeur even left behind the Eiffel Tower in terms of visitation numbers.
The 2024 Tour de France helped the country generate $955 million in revenue. While that is undoubtedly something to be gleeful about, the event also attracted an estimated 12 million attendees over the 23-day racing tournament. Going by the trends, it shouldn’t be much different this year, and it’s also understandable why people like Barrière and Durand aren’t feeling like a breeze ahead of Sunday’s section of the iconic race.
But then again, this wouldn’t be the first time that a major sporting event disrupted the locals’ lives.
The Tour de France is only the latest tournament to irk local communities
The 2024 Paris Olympics created a lot of trouble for the Parisians last year. But it also created quite a stir in a community thousand of miles away. The surfing competition of last year’s Olympics was held at Teahupo’o, Tahiti. While the location offered the perfect setting for surfing with its pristine waters and tall waves, it also caused the locals to make changes to their daily lifestyles. Claims that the Olympics could damage the local marine life and biodiversity of the region, including the underwater coral reefs, kept coming at the organizers.
Credit – Instagram/Teahupoo Tahiti Surfari
Moreover, the construction of the metal judges’ towers for the competition was also under fire. So much so that even the international surfing governing body had to step in. “The International Surfing Association (ISA) will not support the construction of the new aluminum judges’ tower at Teahupo’o,” read an official statement that was made public on the ISA’s disapproval of the metal towers replacing the more traditional wooden ones.
But not all attention is always bad. As part of the 2024 Olympic hosting goals, a massive $1.4 billion was allocated to clean up the Seine before the Games. The smaller swimming competitions were even held in the river, as well as the player introduction ceremonies which were held on water for the first time in Olympic history!
But will the long-time residents of Montmartre also have something to smile about after the Tour de France passes through? What do you reckon?
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