Eiffel Tower closed as staff go on strike

PARIS - The Eiffel Tower, one of the world's top tourist attractions, was closed Wednesday after staff went on strike, the landmark's operator said.

The one-day stoppage on the 100th anniversary of the death of engineer Gustave Eiffel, who built the tower, was to protest against "the current way it is managed", the hard-left CGT union said in a statement.

The tower's operator SETE was "headed for disaster", it said.

The CGT said management was running the Eiffel Tower according to a business model that was "too ambitious and unsustainable" and that it said was based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers, while under-estimating construction costs.

SETE apologised to visitors, advising anyone with electronic tickets for Wednesday "to check their email" for more information on their booking.

The Eiffel Tower -- Paris's most famous landmark -- attracts nearly seven million visitors a year, around three-quarters of them foreigners, according to its website.

AFP