The tourist traffic in France dropped 2.5% this summer, Le Figaro

The number of tourist nights has dropped in the region francilienne ring road and in the Paca region between may and September. In these territories, the attacks have also scared off foreign tourists, the clientele is French.

The ill have been spent by tourism professionals has been confirmed. According to the balance sheet of the Insee, published on Wednesday 262 million overnight stays were recorded between may and September last year, a figure that is a decrease of 2.5% compared to the summer of 2015. The accommodations at the most urban have been particularly affected, with a decline of overnight stays by 3.7% in the hotels and 4.2% in other collective tourist accommodation (apart-hotels, family homes, youth hostels). The campsites perform better with a limited decrease of-0.7%. The foreign customers has avoided France (5.5 per cent) while customer French has been more resilient (-1%).

a geographic point of view, the decline in the number of nights the most important has been recorded in urban areas (-5%), deserted by the foreign customers (-10,8%). The coastlines have also been penalized with a decline in overnight stays by 3.6%. In question, according to the Insee: a beginning of the season, sealed by the weather, and bridges less numerous than in 2015. All coastal areas are concerned: – 5.9% for the coast of brittany, -3,5% for the mediterranean, -2,9% for the atlantic… massive have limited the case with a stable number of overnight stays on a year. The rural areas have been acclaimed by the French and foreign clientele with a 2.7% increase in the number of nights this summer.

From a regional perspective, the strongest decrease is recorded in the Ile-de-France (-12,4%), deserted by his foreign customers (-16,1%). The region, which still suffers from the attacks that hit Paris last year, has lived for a month of August particularly bad (-19,6% compared to August 2015, of which -23,7% for foreigners). One of the other regions suffering is the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’azur (-6% of nights). This last was good in June due to the matches of the Euro organised in Marseille and Nice, but the attack of July 14, has put a brake on the tourist season. “The month of July is significantly started to decrease after the bombing of Nice. The decline continues in the other summer months, in particular in urban areas and on the coast,” said the Insee.

Some regions have, however, known a been less gloomy. This is the case in the south-west (nights in a 1.5% increase in New-Aquitaine) and in the east (+2.5% in Auvergne, Rhône-Alpes, +0.1% in the Big East). The Hauts-de-France and Corsica have also attracted tourists, including foreigners, with overnights in increase respective of 1.8% and 2.4%.