Tourism in France will be impacted by Friday's deadly attacks in Paris, according to the chief executive of French food services giant Sodexo, who told CNBC that it was important to fight terrorism.
"(The attacks) will certainly have an impact," Michel Landel, chief executive of Sodexo, told CNBC Wednesday.
France has been shocked by a series of coordinated gun and suicide bomb attacks in Paris last Friday night. A manhunt ensued targeting those involved in planning and executing the attacks and on Wednesday, police conducted dawn raids in the Saint-Denis suburb of the city. Two suspects died during the raids, one of whom was a woman who detonated a suicide bomb, and eight people were arrested.
There are concerns over the long-term impact on France's already-struggling economy and fears the tourism industry, which accounts for 7 percent of France's GDP, could be affected.
Paris tourism to be hurt in near term, but not for long
"We have some business around tourism ourselves in Paris so it will have an impact but it's too early to quantify such an impact. But I would also like to say that as an individual or company or as citizens, we have to stand up and fight against this terrorism and keep going as much as we can and be optimistic."
Landel said that France needed to cut its public spending in order to focus resources on combating terrorism.
"I think we have the possibility to finance more resources to fight terrorism and do, probably, many other things to improve the situation in France if we have the courage to cut public spending."
Landel's comments come after Sodexo released its financial results for the fiscal year ending August 31. The catering service company posted a 10 percent rise in revenue growth, including a 2.5 percent rise in organic growth, to 19.8 billion euros ($21.2 billion). Shares in the group opened 8 percent higher.
– By CNBC's Holly Ellyatt, follow her on Twitter @HollyEllyatt. Follow us on Twitter: @CNBCWorld
