The tourists are back in France. The country garnered 57.9 billion euros in 2022 thanks to international tourism, “record” receipts but still lower than those of the great Spanish rival, according to figures published Monday by Atout France, responsible for promoting French tourism in the stranger.
“At the end of December 2022, international tourism receipts in France were up by 1.2 billion euros compared to their 2019 level”, details the agency in a note on the situation published on its site.
Figures boosted by inflation
“This result is explained by the return of European and American customers, but also by inflation, which mechanically increases revenue in value.” On the other hand, the flow of travelers “from Asia, in particular from China or Japan, still remains very weak”.
And in terms of revenue from international tourism, France remains ahead of Spain, “which will regain its European leadership in 2022” since Madrid had already accumulated 64.8 billion euros at the end of November.
Among the foreign customers who spent the most in France in 2022 are nationals of three bordering countries: Belgium with 7.3 billion euros, Germany with 6.5 billion and the United Kingdom with 6.2 billion. . The United States ranks fifth with $5.6 billion in cumulative spending in 2022.
After “good” activity during the Christmas holidays and in the mountain areas, despite initially “poor or even absent snow cover”, Atout France is looking with “some optimism” to the first quarter of 2023, “despite a context that is still difficult” economically (inflation) and geopolitically, with the war in Ukraine.