France received 84.5 million foreign tourists in 2015 – Le Figaro

The increase in attendance of 0.9% was limited by the attacks of 13 November. The government is still the 100 million tourists in 2020.

Foreign tourists continue to love France. Last year, they were 84.5 million to choose the world’s top tourist destination, according to figures released Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An increase of 0.9% compared to 2014 (83.8 million). International traffic carried by a dramatic increase in Asian visitors (+ 22.7%), in total there were nearly 2.2 million to set foot on French soil. The Hexagon seduced including Chinese tourists made 1.1 million additional hotel nights (+ 46.6%), a record according to Insee. US customers also revives France (+ 15.2%), benefiting from an advantageous during the dollar. The attractiveness of the Hexagon should delight tourism professionals, the sector represents 7.4% of GDP.

Despite these performances, the Foreign Ministry is not completely satisfied with these results. To recall, the ambition of the former Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, was to surpass the 85 million foreign visitors. The blame largely up to the attacks of 13 November that “this limited progress, particularly in the capital,” said his successor Jean-Marc Ayrault. After a first part of satisfactory year, the international attendance has declined sharply from 3.1% last quarter 2015. On the only months of November and December, foreign nights spent in collective accommodation decreased by 6.3 respectively % and 16.5%. The amusement park Disneyland Paris, the most visited tourist site in Europe, was closed for four days after the events and recorded cancellations of reservations. To curb this, the Quai d’Orsay recalls that a campaign to promote tourism of 2.5 million euros (1 million euros released by the State) to reassure foreign visitors, “is finalized. “

If the attacks of November have cooled somewhat foreign holidaymakers, the French have made up the shortfall of tourism professionals. The change is striking in regard to tourism and hotel residences. The nights of French customers who were up 3.4% for the year, reached “to erase the decline of foreign overnight stays” 1.9% – almost 20% just in the last quarter – according INSEE.

The End of overall disappointing year was not due to ambitions of French tourism. Jean-Marc Ayrault reaffirmed on Friday the objective “to accommodate 100 million foreign tourists a year in France in 2020″.