France records busiest summer for tourism in 15 years

France had a successful summer for tourism, with data pointing to it being the busiest in 15 years, while US and UK visitors remained among the biggest overseas hotel markets.

Between May and August, 260.5 million nights were spent in hotels, campsites and other collective tourist accommodation.

The figure was 1.1% higher than in the same period in 2025, according to figures from statistics agency Insee.

People living in France accounted for the largest share of stays, with residents recording 55.3 million hotel nights this summer.

They also spent 89.1 million nights at campsites, up from 87.5 million the previous year.

Among non-resident visitors, the US recorded 5.4 million hotel nights, making it the biggest non-resident hotel market, while UK visitors recorded 4.3 million. German visitors followed with 3.9 million hotel nights.

The UK was also one of the main overseas markets for campsites, with 4.4 million overnight stays.

Campsites remain most popular

Campsites remained the most popular type of collective tourist accommodation in France, recording 126.5 million overnight stays, up 1.1% compared with 2025.

Hotels recorded 92 million, up 1.7%, while other collective accommodation, including holiday residences and youth hostels, recorded 42 million, down 0.4%.

The rise in camping was driven by residents in France, whose stays increased by 1.8%.

Foreign visitors spent slightly fewer nights at French campsites overall, with 37.4 million compared with 37.6 million in 2025.

The summer figures also show a difference between rural areas and France’s largest cities.

Overnight stays in rural areas increased by 3.2%, or 3.7 million nights, compared with 2025.

On the other hand, overnight stays in densely populated urban areas fell by 3.9%, representing 2.5 million fewer nights.

The fall was particularly marked among overseas visitors to these areas, whose overnight stays dropped by 7.7%.

The data ties in with earlier estimates by Alliance France Tourisme, a tourism industry think tank.

“Record heat did not reduce demand but redistributed it,” Alliance France Tourisme previously told The Connexion, pointing out that cooler destinations such as Normandy, Brittany and the Channel coast performed strongly.

The new Insee data appears to reflect this shift, with coastal areas recording 106.3 million overnight stays during the summer, up 1.4% on 2025.

The strongest increases were recorded along the eastern Channel and North Sea coast, up 5.6%, and the north Atlantic and western Channel coast, up 5%.

The Mediterranean coast, meanwhile, saw a much smaller increase of 0.3%, while overnight stays on the South Atlantic coast fell by 2.3%.

Insee said tourism in Gironde was particularly affected by numerous fires in July, although the fires could only explain part of the decline, as visitor numbers had already fallen in June.

However, Laurent Barthélémy, president of UMIH Saisonniers, which represents seasonal hospitality businesses, previously told The Connexion that the high numbers did not necessarily translate into stronger activity in restaurants and bars.

“The hotels were full, but in restaurants and bars, people were not spending in the same way,” he said.

He said the cost of living was affecting holiday spending, with people ordering fewer drinks, avoiding desserts or choosing something to share.