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Tourist figures

France maintains its position as world's leading tourist destination

The country was the “only destination in the world to have returned to pre-Covid-19 figures,” said the Elysée

Tourism reversal in France: southerners head north to cool off

We look at problem of ‘over-touristed’ areas and what is being done to help

Emily in Paris park ‘shows the two sides of Paris’

Columnist Nabila Ramdani takes a closer look at the Buttes-Chaumont Park, which has recently featured in both the Netflix series and crime reports surrounding a grisly murder case

Bookings at French ski resorts exceed pre-pandemic levels

The return of international clients has been described as ‘encouraging for the end of the season’, with resorts stating they are ‘ready’ to welcome UK visitors

Foreign tourists to France still down but EU neighbours are visiting

Spending by Dutch, German and Belgian visitors is up but number of people coming from UK has dropped

Flights to France below 40% of pre-Covid levels this summer

France fared worse than destinations including Greece, Turkey and Iceland, but the tourism industry has been buoyed by domestic holidaymakers

‘Summer bringing hope’: France to see 50m foreign visitors this season

The junior tourism minister confirmed that numbers were up compared to last year, but said most visitors will still come from Europe only

Holiday bookings in France catching up post-pandemic

Tourism groups are reporting soaring bookings of domestic seaside, countryside and mountain holidays, especially for open-air destinations, and higher-end options

France launches campaign to attract tourists despite Covid criticism

The government wants to ‘roll out the red carpet’ to Europe but travel industry critics condemn the country’s lack of Covid-19 strategy and planning

French island beauty spot is victim of over-tourism

Porquerolles in the Var (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) wants to reduce visitor numbers to 4,000 a day after becoming overrun by summer tourists.

France loses €30-40 billion from lack of summer tourists

A lack of international visitors has caused huge losses in the French tourism industry this summer, while rising Covid-19 cases are causing European countries to reassess quarantine measures for travel to and from France.

Wife of brain dead bus driver in Bayonne: ‘I will fight’

The wife of a bus driver who was left brain dead after an attack in Bayonne, southwest France, has said she “did not expect to receive such support” and will “fight for justice”, as a march took place in the city yesterday.

Luxury Paris hotels to stay closed this summer

Most top Paris hotels - classed as "palaces" - are set to stay closed until September 2020, it has emerged, due to lack of bookings following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Travel: What do border reopenings mean for France?

France is to decide on the reopening of European borders on June 15, and is calling for a coordinated approach, as Italy reopens, but the UK doubles down on quarantine. We look at what this means for France.

Tourists to France becoming major users of e-scooters

Tourists in French cities are some of the most-common users of for-hire electric scooters, with the transport method fast “becoming part of the landscape” for foreign visitors, a study has found.

20,000 low-cost Thalys train fares on sale in France

A total of 20,000 low-cost international Thalys train tickets have gone on sale in France today (Tuesday November 5), with single journeys to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands costing from €25.

‘Women-only’ tourism trend booming in France

A French company is leading the way on “women-only tourism”, an increasingly-popular travel trend in Europe over the past five years, according to the World Tourism Organisation.

New Tutankhamun show breaks France visitor record

A Paris exhibition about Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun has become the most-visited ever in France, breaking a 1967 record, with 1.3 million visitors.

Britons turn backs on French holidays

A big drop in the number of British visitors to France – including a 23% fall in UK tourists to the Dordogne at the start of July – has not stopped 2019 looking like a good year for tourism overall.

Louvre to make pre-booking mandatory this year

Pre-booking was intended to be introduced in 2020

Tourism in France recovers from gilets jaunes drop

Tourism in France has strongly recovered from a difficult start to the year, which saw a drop in visitors at the peak of the gilets jaunes protests, new figures have shown today.

Paris Louvre tickets for da Vinci show now on sale

Tickets are now on sale for the much-anticipated Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Paris Louvre Museum, four months before the show opens.

Asian visitors boost French tourism

A surge in visitors from Asia helped France retain its crown as the most-visited country in the world in 2018, new figures show.

Paris to build new ‘largest garden’ by 2024 olympics.

The “largest garden in Paris”, including new pedestrianised and landscaped zones, is expected to open between the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero by year 2024

SNCF confirms Bordeaux trains to Brussels and London

There may soon be a direct train link between Bordeaux and London, SNCF has said, as a new Bordeaux-Brussels link is confirmed, and the current Paris-Bordeaux line is deemed a success.

10.2m visitors set record for Le Louvre

The Louvre museum in Paris broke its visitor numbers record in 2018, with 10.2 million over the year - a rise of 25% compared to 2017.

French airport Roissy fights against illegal taxis

Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has launched a new taxi scheme to fight illegal taxis that target tourists, with a new system of “official airport taxis”.

Louvre focuses on Chinese as it hits 10m visitor mark

The iconic art gallery and museum in Paris is seeking to widen its appeal to Chinese tourists as it celebrates a record-breaking 10 million tourist visits in 2018 - making it the world’s most-visited museum.

France’s 2018 heritage days attract over 12m people

Over 12 million people visited almost 16,000 monuments across France this weekend as part of this year’s Journées Européennes du Patrimoine (European Heritage Days).

France's campsites see 20% growth over a decade

New-look campsites have seen visitor numbers leap 20% over the past decade as they introduced new features and activities with 124 million nights booked in 2017 in 9,000 sites across France.

Eiffel Tower re-opens after recurring personnel strike

The Eiffel Tower has reopened to tourists this morning (Friday August 3) after a 36-hour shut down due to an ongoing worker strike.

France still ‘tourism world champion’ as sector soars

France is on track to stay “champion of the world in tourism”, the government has said, as it confirms that the tourism industry grew in the first half of 2018 and had a record 2017, after two tough years.

Ease up on tourism push or face overcrowded sites

With France heading for a stunning 90 million visitors this year the head of the country’s tourism development agency said it may be time to act before key sites become overcrowded resulting in local anger and visitor disappointment.

Europeans living in UK at lowest level in four years

The number of European citizens living permanently in the UK is at its lowest level in four years, with Brexit suggested as one of the reasons for the change.

French police steal bags to raise theft awareness

Police in Strasbourg stole handbags and valuables from over 30 tourists and residents in public places this week as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of pickpocketing and theft.

Louvre art museum tickets scam revealed

Tourist tickets to the Louvre art museum in Paris are being used up to seven times, costing the museum up to €1m, an investigation has claimed.

France tourist numbers hit a record

...but expat holiday rentals feel pinch

Strikes spark fear of a summer of discontent

With a rolling programme of rail strikes announced until June 28, electricity workers in the CGT union have stepped in to back the dispute with threats to act against SNCF and cause delays to TGV trains.

Film deals promise big money for local tourism

Thousands flock to the Riviera for May’s Cannes Film Festival but French towns are now seeing a tourism boost from being the location for a film... like Dunkirk, where visitor numbers rose 25% after the film

New campaign to boost rural hotels and restaurants

A new national campaign has been launched to boost the rural hotel and restaurant industry, and bring new auberge-style “multi-service inns” to country towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.

Eiffel Tower reopens after security staff strike

The Eiffel Tower has reopened its doors to the public this weekend after it was closed by two days of strikes by security guards.

Visitor numbers to Eiffel Tower reach new heights

The number of visitors to globally-famous monument the Eiffel Tower is on the rise, having passed the 300 million mark last year.

Le Routard publishes new guide to PACA local business

Le Routard has published an ‘intelligent tourism’ guide to the PACA or Sud region, featuring local businesses that offer ‘behind-the-scenes’ access to their factories or workshops.

France claims new tourism record

Visitor boom greatest in Île-de-France - but it is being felt across entire country figures reveal

Positive results for French economy

Record tourist numbers and firms are hiring again

Paris tourism at 10-year high after post-terrorism dip

Tourism in Paris is at a 10-year high, and has recovered from the drop in visitors following the terrorist attacks of November 2015.

French tourism “crisis” gets American & Chinese boost

The number of tourists visiting France has jumped by 10% in the past three months, with Americans, Chinese, and Japanese helping to boost the co-called “in crisis” sector.

Thief in Montmartre identified by tourist selfies

A camera thief in Montmartre in Paris has been caught in the act after he was identified by tourist selfies.

Lascaux IV sees record visitor numbers despite critics

Significant numbers of visitors have flocked to the new Lascaux cave artwork exhibition, Lascaux IV, despite some criticism of the centre.

Terror scare passes Tunisia tourism rises

Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal are still No1 picks for foreign holidays by French people but, despite the 2015 terror attacks, Tunisia has seen a 211% rise in bookings.

Tourist workers fight back as trade shaken by terror attacks and strikes

With many areas in France dependent on tourism, industry professionals are concerned about the effect of recent terrorist attacks – figures are still emerging but signs show a disappointing downward trend.