France Tourism Gains as Luxury Hotels and Business Travel Drive Growth

Written By: Abhirup Gan

Abhirup Gan

I'm Abhirup Gan, a Mass Communication graduate and digital marketing professional. Driven by a passion for storytelling, I create insightful, research-led content that explores tourism trends, destination stories, and hospitality developments with depth and clarity. Through my writing, I hope to inspire readers to discover not only where to travel, but the stories, cultures, and experiences that make every journey meaningful.

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September 3, 2026 12:48 PM

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There are indications that tourist accommodation facilities have been growing steadily in France due to increased demand for hotel services and business trips. According to data from INSEE, the number of overnight stays in collective accommodation facilities excluding camping grew by 1.0%. The number of hotel accommodation grew by 1.4% to reach 61.1 million nights. The most robust increase in terms of accommodation growth was experienced among luxury hotels, which posted an increase of 4.2% in four- and five-star accommodations.

Luxury Hotels Lead Accommodation Growth

The rise in four and five-star hotel stays is changing the profile of accommodation demand in France.

Luxury and premium hotels are attracting more visitors as travellers choose higher-quality accommodation for leisure and business trips. The 4.2% increase in overnight stays in these categories was significantly stronger than the overall hotel market.

Major French cities offer a large selection of premium accommodation. Paris remains the country’s largest tourism centre and has an extensive network of luxury hotels.

Visitors staying in the capital can combine high-end accommodation with museums, restaurants, shopping and cultural attractions.

Other destinations are also benefiting from demand for upscale accommodation. Nice offers luxury hotels alongside Mediterranean beaches and cultural attractions. Lyon combines premium hospitality with food, history and city tourism.

Bordeaux provides opportunities for visitors interested in wine, gastronomy and architecture, while Marseille offers coastal tourism and access to the Mediterranean.

Hotel Stays Increase Across France

The 1.4% rise in hotel overnight stays shows that accommodation demand is continuing to expand.

With 61.1 million hotel nights recorded, hotels remain a major part of France’s tourism infrastructure.

International visitors contribute to demand in major cities and popular holiday destinations. Domestic travellers also support hotel occupancy through city breaks, regional holidays and business trips.

France offers a broad range of hotel categories, allowing visitors to select accommodation according to their budget and travel purpose.

The stronger performance of premium hotels indicates that a growing share of demand is moving towards higher-category properties.

This can increase accommodation revenue while supporting restaurants, wellness facilities, conference services and other hotel-based activities.

Business Tourism Makes a Strong Return

Business tourism recorded one of the strongest increases, rising 6.0%.

The recovery is particularly important for cities with large conference centres, exhibition venues and corporate event facilities.

Paris remains a major international business destination. The city hosts conferences, exhibitions, corporate meetings and international events throughout the year.

Lyon is another important business tourism centre. Its location and transport connections support conferences and corporate travel while its food and cultural attractions provide options for visitors outside business programmes.

Cities such as Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and Toulouse also provide facilities for meetings and events.

The return of business travel can increase demand during periods outside the traditional leisure tourism season. This gives hotels and tourism businesses additional sources of visitors throughout the year.

MICE Tourism Supports Major Cities

Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions form an important part of France’s business tourism market.

MICE visitors often require accommodation, meeting facilities, restaurants, transport and event services. They may also extend their stays for leisure activities before or after professional events.

This creates opportunities for hotels to combine business and leisure demand.

A conference visitor in Paris can add museum visits or shopping to a business trip. A corporate traveller attending an event in Lyon can explore the city’s historic centre and food scene.

These combinations support the growing trend towards business and leisure travel being included in the same journey.

France Offers Strong Leisure Options

The growth in hotel demand is also supported by France’s wide range of leisure destinations.

Paris remains central to international tourism with landmarks, museums, galleries and cultural attractions.

The French Riviera offers a different travel experience. Nice provides access to Mediterranean beaches and nearby destinations along the coast.

Bordeaux is well suited to food and wine tourism, while Lyon combines gastronomy with historic architecture.

Visitors can also travel beyond the major cities to explore mountain regions, countryside destinations and coastal areas.

This variety allows France to attract travellers with different interests and travel budgets.

Premium Travel Supports Wider Spending

Higher demand for four- and five-star accommodation can contribute to increased spending across the tourism economy.

Visitors staying in premium properties may also use hotel restaurants, spas, transport services and organised experiences.

Luxury travel can therefore support businesses beyond accommodation.

Cities with established premium hotel markets can use this demand to develop packages combining accommodation with cultural attractions, food experiences, shopping and events.

For international visitors, these services can form part of longer European trips that include several French destinations.

Business and Leisure Travel Can Overlap

Because of the recovery of the business tourism sector, it becomes possible to combine business tourism with leisure. It has become easier for people on official duties to engage in their own travels before or after the official duties. This is due to the advanced railway transport system in France.

If the traveller participates in the conference in Paris, he/she may visit Lyon and Bordeaux. If the businessman makes a tour to Nice, he/she may also admire the coastal views. These combinations will result in more overnight hotel stays and expenses. The INSEE’s recent statistics prove the steady growth in France’s hotel accommodation industry, since the total accommodation for tourists without campsites has grown by 1.0%. The number of hotel stays in the year was 61.1 million, which indicates the growth of 1.4%, while four- and five-star hotels have even greater growth – 4.2%. Business tourism has also grown by 6.0%.