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Record year so far for Paris tourism
Some 7.7 million people visited the city in the six months to the end of June, according to new figures
PARIS tourism officials have reported a record number of visitors to the capital in the first half of this year - and they are confident the trend will continue.
Some 7.7 million people enjoyed a holiday in the city in the six months to the end of June, up 3.5% on the same period in 2010, according to new figures from the tourist office.
Hotel occupancy rates rose to an average of 78.3% - the best level in a decade - and average revenue per room was up 11.6% year-on-year to €127.60.
The number of visitors from China is up 17.7% and South America is up 22.5%, according to the figures.
However, the rest of France has performed worse than forecast this summer, according to new data from tourism research body Protourisme.
It had expected a 4% rise in visitors this summer, but the final figure was up 2% because of the poor weather in July.