France claims new tourism record
Visitor boom greatest in Île-de-France - but it is being felt across entire country figures reveal
France is once again seducing tourists from all around the world, figures reveal, and is back on track to meet its own target of attracting 100million visitors a year from 2020
Hotels and guesthouses recording a record 200million overnight stays in the last quarter, a 4% increase on the same period in 2016, it has been reported.
Two years after the terror attacks in Paris, the figures show the Île-de-France showed the greatest increase, enjoying a 13% boost in visitor numbers for the third quarter of the year - but the bounce has been felt across the country.
Tourism in coastal resorts is also booming, with hotels there reporting a 4% jump in overnight stays over the period. Luxury hotels are seeing a 10% spike in visitor numbers compared to the third quarter of 2016 as the country recovers from the attacks in Paris in 2015, and the Bastille Day atrocity in Nice in 2016.
Other nations hit by terror attacks - including Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt - are still seeing a significant drop in tourist numbers compared to the period before the most recent events.
Currently, tourism generates 7% of France's GDP. The aim is to increase that figure to 10%.
