Tourists have returned to Paris in their droves in recent months, following a dip in numbers last year. This determination to see its many sights, proves that travellers love affair with the ‘City of Love’ is enduring.
Figures released this week by the Regional Tourism Authority (CRT), covering the first half of 2017, reveal that Paris and the surrounding region of île-de-France are due to smash a ten-year tourism record. An incredible 16 million guests checked in to hotels in the Paris region in the first half of the year and the number of visitors rose by 14.6%. Tourism to the rest of France has also increased by a slightly more reserved 6.4%.
An incredible 16 million guests checked in to hotels in the Paris region in the first half of the year.
Find homes in France via our property portal.
Of the biggest groups deciding to spend their holidays in the city, American tourists made up 20%. This amounts to around 1.14 million Americans choosing to holiday in the city. Chinese visitors accounted for 29.5% and Japanese tourists a whopping 40.5%.
The CRT figures also showed that Paris’s major tourist attractions, the Tour Montparnasse and the Arc de Triomphe have seen an increase in visitors, as have popular sites outside of the city including the Châteaux at Versailles, Fontainebleau and Vincennes.
Tourists are flocking to the French capital this year.
Tourist numbers look set to continue at record rates throughout the rest of 2017. CRT President, Frédéric Valletoux revealed that tourism bookings have remained high throughout July and August and into September. CRT predicts that the total number of people holidaying in Paris will be between a record 32-34 million visitors in total during 2017. In 2016, 30 million tourists chose Paris. This increase in footfall means that tourist spending should top the previous high of £19 billion seen in 2015.
The total number of people holidaying in Paris will be between a record 32-34 million visitors in total during 2017.
The report did reveal that the number of Brit tourists choosing to hop across the channel has dipped by 1.7%. Officials have explained this small drop away by attributing it to worries over Brexit.
The French government launched a campaign worth €10 million in a bid to entice tourists back to their streets, with the major aim being to counter ‘false and negative images’ of Paris following recent terrorist attacks. Tourism professionals hope that this upward trend will continue with the confirmation that Paris will host the 2024 Olympic Games. The announcement is expected to happen during the IOC’s annual meeting that is taking place in Peru in September.
