After nearly 9 months, visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower

After nearly 9 months, visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower

With the message "Welcome" in many languages, the Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors on July 16 for the first time after nearly nine months of closure - the longest closure since World War II.

Visitors excitedly took pictures with a panoramic view of Paris city from the Eiffel Tower (Image: AP)

Smiles and emotions surged as the first visitors entered the elevator to the top of Paris' iconic spire.

“It was a lovely place and great people…and now the wonderful Tour Eiffel,” German tourist Ila Mires said of visiting the tower.

She arrived with her 19-year-old daughter before the young girl left for school in Amsterdam. Seeing the tower on her last day in Paris "was a gift for mother and daughter", Ms. Mires said.

Paris's "Iron Lady" was forced to close in October 2020 when France was fighting a second wave of Covid-19, and remained closed for renovation even after tourist attractions France's other reopened last month.

The reopening of the Eiffel Tower comes four days after President Emmanuel Macron announced new measures to prevent a fourth wave of Covid-19, including mandatory vaccinations for healthcare workers and the public. Covid-19 certification is required when entering restaurants, tourist attractions and other locations.

This year, up to 50% of visitors are foreigners to the Eiffel Tower (Image: REUTERS)

On the day of reopening, due to concerns about Covid-19, all visitors over 11 years old must wear masks and each elevator can only carry half the number of visitors of the day before the pandemic.

Starting next Wednesday, visitors to the Eiffel Tower 18 years of age or older will have to present a Covid-19 certificate proving they are fully vaccinated, have tested negative for Covid-19 or have antibodies after recovering from Covid-19. In addition, visitors are required to wear masks and each day, the Eiffel Tower will only receive half the number of visitors of 25,000 people - the level before the pandemic.

However, the regulations to ensure epidemic prevention did not seem to make the crowd stop excited on the first day of reopening the iconic tower of France.

The words “Welcome” in multiple languages ​​“Bienvenue - Welcome - Wilkommen - Bienvenido” are constantly displayed on the screen as families, couples and groups of people line up or take pictures below the tower.

Residents and tourists relax at the Champ-de-Mars garden next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris on July 16 (Photo: AP)

“We worked, we worked, we worked (for today). And when I saw my first guest, I was very, very happy. Touched and happy,” Eiffel Tower director Patrick Branco Ruivo told reporters.

“Before Covid-19, 80% of visitors were foreigners, 20% were French. Last year, 80% of visitors were French, 20% were foreigners. And this year, it's amazing because the ratio is 50-50. And for us, it's time for foreigners to return to the Eiffel Tower," said Patrick.

France opened its doors to international tourists this summer, but the regulations vary depending on the country they're from.

Overlooking the elegant French capital, Philippe Duval and his family from Bordeaux, who were among the first to arrive at the tower's top-floor observatory, said: “This is an event we don't know. want to miss. To be on top of the most beautiful city in the world, what more could you ask for?