New data from wholesale hotel room buyer JacTravel, which typically fills 250,000 beds a night, said bookings were down in what is usually a busy time for the city.

It added that it was the leisure sector which was most affected, with business travellers continuing to head to the city.

Cecile Danielo, JacTravel’s regional head of contracting, said: “Families are staying away and those who are visiting are staying for fewer nights. The picture is highly volatile with prices changing from day to day.”

Juan Morterero Gil, JacTravel’s VP purchasing and product added: “Christmas and New Year are very important periods for Paris hotels. On the plus side, we can see the situation appears to be improving from week to week.”

The company said bookings had already taken a hit earlier in the year following the Charlie Hebdo attack in January, with hotel business starting to recover in June.

However it added that the impact this time was much greater.

Hotels are reluctant to slash their rates but they are offering a number of promotions, JacTravel said.

These include room upgrades, reducing the minimum length of stay, offering 25-30% discounts for one or two-night stays and special offer vouchers for New Year’s Eve dinners.

It added that in particular, hotels with international clientele from China, the US and Japan were suffering as long-haul visitors stay away.

Danielo concluded: “There is so much support for Paris from around the world and Parisian hoteliers are taking that on board to remain optimistic.

The city is less crowded than you would expect for this time of year. But there is still life in Paris.”

The impact on Brussels was also notable following the lock-down after the Paris attacks.

However, the impact was short lived JacTravel said, as it did not suffer from a direct attack and its hotels have been busy with politicians and business people recently.