France tourism makes strong rebound this summer

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

In spite of the cost-of-living uncertainties, heat waves and wildfires, the tourism industry of France came back in a big way this summer, with local and foreign travelers visiting after a two-year hiatus in the wake of the corona virus pandemic.

Olivia Gregoire, France Tourism Minister said that opening data showed that the summer of this year proved to be “exceptional”, with 35 million French people embarking on holidays, or seven out of 10 compared to about 60% last year.

In 2019, France was the most visited country internationally, witnessing approximately 90 million foreign visitors. Gregoire said that they want to stay the number one country in the world.

Gregoire said that credit card expenditure during the summer increased to 10% in French hotels and restaurants, compared to 2019.

Tourism creates 8 percent of France’s nationwide gross domestic product, generating around two million jobs.
July and the first half of August data displayed that revenue per available room (RevPAR), a key measure of performance for the hotel industry, increased 22.2% compared to 2019.

RevPAR in the Paris area and the French Riviera in the south increased sharply, boosted by an arrival of wealthy foreign visitors, particularly from the US due to a strong dollar, including the Gulf countries.

Gregoire said that it may not be impracticable to reach the target of 100 million foreign tourists a year.

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