If you’re travelling to Paris for the Olympics or Paralympics, you will likely find more dining and shopping options open for summer; a time when most Parisiens usually shut up shop and head off ‘en vacance’, writes Lindsey Tramuta Anyone who’s visited Paris in late July and August knows the word “ferme.” It adorns the darkened windows of chic indie boutiques and cosy bistros whose owners, with other locals, have fled the city on their annual holidays. This summer, with Paris expected to draw nearly 15 million visitors between July 26 and September 8 for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, that ritual is anything but certain.

Many shopkeepers, bakers, restaurateurs and tour guides — citing patriotism as well as profit — say they’re planning to stay open. READ MORE: Bizarre French laws that could trip up Paris Olympics tourists It’s a decision that comes with unpredictability. The 2012 London Olympics have cast a long shadow in Paris.

Before those Games, warnings of overcrowded roads, congested transit and security concerns emptied out much of the popular city centre and the West End, causing a tourism slump in those areas. Small-business owners in Paris are hoping history does not repeat itself..