French tourism is doing well. Very well even. After a dynamic summer, the late season turned out to be radiant, and “all the indicators are green”, according to the first official reports. Enough to announce, between now and the end of the year, good prospects for the sector, for All Saints’ Day and until November.
“Tourism is doing well”, and the late season, in September, “is a direct continuation of a very good summer season”, announced the Minister for Commerce and Tourism, during a press brief, this Wednesday afternoon. The Rugby World Cup, the visit of Pope Francis, as well as the almost summer weather have pushed many visitors to France. Likewise, a third – 34% – of French people took a trip last month, a rate up sharply compared to 2022 or the pre-Covid period. In more than one in ten cases, the trip was planned at the last minute, a trend that has become increasingly noticeable in recent years.
The figures are encouraging. In detail, international tourism receipts jumped by 700 million euros last August, compared to the same month a year earlier. Enough to bring them to a “record level of 8.1 billion euros”, unheard of in a month. Cumulatively over eight months, at the end of August, international revenues reached 44.3 billion euros, up almost five billion euros compared to 2022, “which gives hope for a new record for this year”, according to Bercy. On the foreign side, American or Canadian travelers are more numerous, unlike Japanese, Chinese or Indians. At the same time, outdoor accommodation, hotels and accommodation rentals also recorded good figures, with increasing rates and volumes. The metropolises, the Alps, the coasts and the northeast recorded encouraging dynamics.
These good results are notably due to the arrival of many oval ball fans to support their favorite team in France. This event “boosted attendance in France and consumption”, underlined Olivia Grégoire. A dynamic also visible on a local scale: for example, Toulouse recorded more Japanese travelers, the pink city having hosted matches of the team from the land of the rising sun. Overall, the arrivals of visitors who have a team involved in the World Cup are 19% higher than in 2022, according to Atout France.
These good results should also continue in the next two months, according to the representatives, leading to a good outcome for All Saints’ Day. 36% of French people “say they intend to travel to France between October and November”, and forecasts of arrivals from international customers, particularly from Austria, Japan, Canada, Spain or the United Kingdom, are good. Enough to lead, once again, to encouraging prospects for the sector. In October, reservation rates were 5% higher in the hotel sector than over the same period a year earlier. Likewise, hotel occupancy rates should be attractive in November and then December.
France could therefore be heading towards another record year, provided however that the current situation does not destabilize visitors and that threats of attacks do not push them to cancel their trips. On this point, the Minister Delegate recalled the significant mobilization of law enforcement and the DGSI to protect French people and tourists alike, particularly in “extremely popular” places, such as the Palace of Versailles, the subject of security alerts. bomb in recent days. For the moment, there are no consolidated figures to show the effect of threats on visitors.
Professionals also risk being victims of their own greed, by excessively inflating their prices. Be careful, however, not to scare away tourists, warned Olivia Grégoire, calling for “vigilance in the coming months, on the preservation of reasonable prices”. Otherwise, the price signal could well have a “deleterious effect” on reservations, as the Paris 2024 games are fast approaching. To combat this inflation, the executive is working to set up a price observatory for furnished rental platforms and, perhaps, the traditional hotel industry. On this point, discussions are continuing, and should be completed by the end of the year. “The quality of France’s reception depends on it,” underlined the delegate minister.
