Tourism in Paris has been hit hard by terrorism fears.

The capital city and the Île-de-France region which surrounds it welcomed 1.5 million fewer holidaymakers in 2016 compared to 2015, according to the Regional Tourism Committee.

This 0.8 per cent drop in visitors has cost the area 1.3 billion Euros, which is a 6.1 per cent fall in takings from 2015, Le Figaro reports.

The new figures suggest the main reason tourists have been put off visiting Paris is fears over terrorism and security in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January 2015 and the attacks in November of the same year.

Concerns seem to be particularly strong amongst Chinese and Japanese travellers, whose numbers have dropped 21.5 per cent and 41.2 per cent respectively.

Chinese tourists are Paris’ biggest spenders - upmarket department store Les Galeries Lafayettes has revealed that visitors from China are their main customers and their average Chinese shopper spends 1,400 Euros per visit.

Europeans seem less deterred, but the Italians have been most put-off amongst countries closer to France - 27.6 fewer Italians visited Paris in 2016 compared to the previous year, Spanish visitor numbers fell by 9.9 per cent and British by just 8.6 per cent.

But it’s Americans - France’s biggest source of visitors - who seem the least wary of any risks associated with visiting the region: their numbers only dropped by 4.9 per cent.

Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises Show all 10 1 /10 Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises The swelling banks of the river Seine have caused the Orsay Museum to close Getty Images / Xavier Laine Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises High waters next to Notre-Dame cathedral Getty Images Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises Houseboats moored near the Pont Alexandre III bridge following heavy rainfalls Getty Images Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises The rise in water has been twice as fast as the city's planning models predicted, based on statistics from 1910 REUTERS Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises Padlocks clipped by lovers in front of the 'Ile de la Cite' flooded by the River Seine in central Paris REUTERS Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises A man uses a footbridge as he leaves his houseboat moored near the Eiffel tower REUTERS Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises The waters of the Seine River flow out of its banks at the tip of the Ile Saint Louis REUTERS Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises People stand on the Pont de l'Alma as they look at the Zouave statue covered by the rising waters from the Seine River after days of rainy weather in Paris REUTERS Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises View of the flooded river-side of the River Seine near the Bir-Hakeim bridge in Paris REUTERS Flood warnings in Paris as the Seine rises The Eiffel tower in Paris, France, after days of almost non-stop rain caused flooding in the country REUTERS

Foreign tourists as a whole spend on average 120 Euros per day, which is more than French visitors to their capital city.

In the aftermath of 2015’s terror attacks, the Regional Tourism Committee were expecting tourist numbers to fall, but they revealed the drop wasn’t actually as severe as they’d feared.

For months, French authorities have been going to lengths to convince the world that life is continuing as normal in Paris, despite being in a state of emergency. At the end of November, for example, Manuel Valls announced they were upping security measures. Many of these will not come into force until this summer though.

“Paris remains the top tourist destination in the world,” says Frédéric Valletoux, President of the Regional Tourism Committee of Paris Île-de-France. He reveals that although the area is strong on volume of tourists, the committee are aiming to increase spending by encouraging longer stays.