The “yellow vest” protests may have affected the number of foreign visitors arriving since November, but the past year marks a new record for tourism in France.
The government confirmed that approximately 90 million foreign visitors came to France in 2018. The previous record was from 2017, with nearly 87 million tourists. Over the past year, the number of foreign visitors increased, regardless of their nationality.
While France is expecting 100 million foreign tourists in 2020, a task force composed of Ademe, the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, and Atout France must make proposals to address the “new environmental, economic, and social challenges” posed by the growth in tourist numbers.
These recommendations will be submitted to the interministerial tourism council. By 2030, there will be 1.8 billion tourists worldwide. This will have consequences for France, the world’s leading tourist destination.
France, and especially Paris—unlike Venice and Barcelona—do not yet suffer from an overwhelming number of tourists, which would be criticized by residents. However, its star sites are reaching saturation, such as the Eiffel Tower and Mont-Saint-Michel in the summer.
