The Eiffel Tower is clocking up visitor numbers not seen since Covid-19 kept most tourists away and ripped a deep hole in its finances, the attraction's operator said.

A major paint job on the “Iron Lady” has resumed after an interruption during the pandemic due to high lead levels, it said, with the aim of having the landmark look its best in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Eiffel Tower had “a good month of October”, operator Sete told AFP, thanks to tourists returning to Paris, a top destination.

It received an average of more than 20,000 visitors per day in October, up from 13,000 during the summer when curbs kept down numbers allowed into the tower's lifts.