Summer tourist levels in France higher than pre-pandemic numbers
Metropolitan areas and the coast have seen the best recovery, with tourists returning to popular French tourist destinations including Normandy
Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) revealed that between April and September 2022, tourists spent a total of 322 million nights in France. This was a 2.4-per-cent increase on pre-pandemic figures in 2019.
Most of these nights were recorded by local tourists, according to the National Institute for Statistics. This was a 5.3-per-cent increase on the previous year.
The return of international tourists was only noted at the end of the summer season, but was still down 4.2 per cent over the whole period.
In terms of accommodation, campsites have seen a strong recovery, but hotels not as much. However, the number of overnight stays rose, notably in top-of-the-range establishments.
Tourist numbers have increased in most of the metropolitan regions. Only the Île-de-France and the Grand Est have not returned to their pre-pandemic levels. The French coastline has seen the best recovery in visitor numbers, particularly on the northern and Normandy coasts.
France only lifted its remaining Covid border restrictions on 1 August 2022, during the summer period in question.