Eiffel Tower getting a makeover

PARIS — The Eiffel Tower, host to nearly 7 million visitors per year, is about to get a makeover, the goal to make their experience a happier one.

Its directors unveiled a $267 million, 10-year plan Wednesday to upgrade the monument for the 21st century.

The last time the Tour Eiffel, as it's known in French, underwent something similar was a generation ago, in the early 1980s, when the focus was on increasing the number of visitors, then about 3 million.

"Year after year, we have put a lot of energy and pride into announcing new records," said Jean-Bernard Bros, president of SETE, the company that manages the city-owned tower.

Now the goal is changing.

"Today, above all, we want visitors to leave with rich memories, with more time spent on the tower, less waiting in line, less pushing around."

When the Eiffel Tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair, it was meant to welcome only about 500,000 visitors, said Bros. Today, even with added elevators, lines can last up to an hour or two during high season.

To address the long waits, a new system — tested on tour groups since the beginning of the year — will allow visitors to reserve half-hour time slots online.

Other changes are designed to get sightseers to open their wallets a little wider while there.

While the Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, visitors spend on average only $5.50, on top of the $11.80 for tickets, the management company said.

The plan calls for creating bigger shops and redesigning the first-floor restaurant to increase capacity and lower prices.

Not all of the changes cater to tourists from far afield. More exhibits, attractions and nightlife will seek to woo Parisians, who currently make up only 2 percent of the tower's visitors.

"The Eiffel Tower's problem for Parisians is that it's right at home," Bros said. Nicolas Lefebvre, SETE's general director, added: "The argument of seeing Paris from the Eiffel Tower is insufficient for them. They need content."

Disabled visitors will finally get improved access, and the tower's energy consumption should be reduced by less sparkling at night — the tower currently sparkles 10 minutes per hour, but will cut down to five in the fall.

Also, the two original elevators — using hydraulic systems designed by Gustave Eiffel — will undergo re-construction, one after the other with the first starting in the fall, posing new challenges for the management as they try to cut down on lines. The Eiffel Tower remains open 365 days a year.