Visitors to Eiffel Tower climb to record in 2006

PARIS, Jan 13 (Reuters) A record 6.7 million people visited the Eiffel Tower in 2006, most of them foreign tourists, the firm that manages the Paris landmark said.

Since the tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair, 230 million people have climbed its 1,665 steps or taken the elevators to admire the views from the 324-metre high structure, the SETE group said yesterday.

Early last year, tourism officials said they feared student protests in the city centre and the 2005 riots in the suburbs of the French capital and other cities would deter visitors, but the fears were not borne out.

Visits to the Eiffel Tower rose by 300,000 last year compared with 2005, with up to 30,000 people visiting it daily on busy days, SETE said.

REUTERS AKJ VC0832