A tourist favorite… for the past 120 years
Its ultimate destiny has turned out to be quite different: it was never dismantled, saved by its immense public success at the Universal Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900, as well as Eiffel's scientific experiments. Initially dedicated solely to radio transmission (the first radio transmissions in 1898 and first public radio broadcast in 1925) followed by telecommunications (up to and including digital terrestrial television), the tower really took off as a tourist attraction during the 1950s, becoming the most visited attraction in France behind the gardens of the Château de Versailles. Since then, visitor numbers have been rising steadily. Today, of the 7 million people that visit the monument annually, 75% come from abroad and consider the Eiffel Tower to be an absolute must on their itinerary. It has to be said the “Iron Lady” has pride of place in any report on Paris. It has provided an inspiring backdrop to numerous films, starting with Abel Gance's La Fin du Monde (The End of the World), in 1930. Disproportionate, it has everything required to embody Paris, France and the Parisian imagination.