Paris 2024 Olympics: Is now a good time to holiday in the French capital?

What remains to be seen is whether the emergency action taken by the hospitality industry will be enough to salvage the Olympic trade for many Parisien businesses.

With restaurants dropping their prices, it was now possible to get a meal for as little as €8 (£6.80, $8.70) in the Latin Quarter, claimed Riad, the proprietor of the Olympie diner, as he tried to entice diners.

Hotels, too have tried a similar trick – largely reversing the earlier rises which appear to have been so off-putting. Tourism authorities confirmed that average prices had returned to €258 (£219; $279) per night during the Games, following a massive hike that had previously seen them peak at €342 last month.

The BBC saw that a number of Airbnbs on offer were advertising price reductions, although the company said prices had remained stable since the start of the year, and more locals had been opening their homes in host cities.

Individual hoteliers in Paris spoke of mixed success.

One reception manager, Dino, said bookings had reached normal levels – but only after rates were slashed by half when things “looked bleak”.

Another, Isabelle, said her own price drop had been ineffective and lamented that “we didn’t gain anything from the Olympics”.