OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2024

France

Tourism in the economy and outlook 

Tourism is a significant contributor to the French economy. Its structural importance can be measured in two ways, on the one hand, by domestic tourism consumption (which amounts to approximately 7.5% of GDP) and, on the other hand, by the share of tourism sectors in added value total (which represents, excluding crisis episodes, around 4% of GDP). In 2022, direct tourism employment amounted to 1.5 million jobs, up from 1.3 million in 2020, representing 7.7% of total employment.

International tourism demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels in France. Revenues from international tourism, which fell to EUR 28.5 billion in 2020, have recovered well, reaching EUR 56.7 billion in 2022, similar to 2019 levels in current prices. Provisional data indicates that for 2023, total revenue have reached EUR 63.5 billion. Tourism contributes positively to the balance of payments, with the tourism balance recording an increase from EUR 3.4 billion in 2020 to EUR 18.5 billion in 2023 (compared to EUR 11.6 billion in 2019). France recorded 98 million international tourist arrivals in 2023 (according to provisional estimates from Atout France), up from 90.9 million in 2019, and 41.7 million in 2020. European countries remain the main international source markets in France, accounting for over 83.3% of international arrivals. German tourists constitute the leading international clientele, with more than 16% of total arrivals in 2022.

Domestic tourism remains a major component of tourist demand. It structurally represents two-thirds of tourism consumption in France and constituted an important factor for the sector’s resilience during the COVID-19 crisis.

For 2024, France expects more international arrivals boosted by the Olympics and Paralympics Games in Paris.

Tourism governance 

The Ministry for the Economy, with the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE), is responsible for tourism at the national level in France. For tourism, being a transversal economic sector, co-ordination with other inter-ministerial departments is of great importance and this is carried out in particular by the Inter-ministerial Tourism Council. Dialogue between administrations and representatives of private actors also takes place within the Tourism Sector Committee (CFT) established in 2019 and relaunched in 2022 to bring together public and private parties to guide tourism development post-pandemic.

Tourism is a shared competence in France: all levels of sub-national government are involved in tourism policy development and implementation. Each regional council, with the support of the Regional Tourism Committee (CRT), co-ordinates public and private initiatives in the field of tourism development, information and promotion, including actions on international markets. They also collect, process and disseminate local data relating to tourism in each region. Departmental councils can set up Departmental Tourism Committees (CDT) focusing on structuring the offer and supporting the stakeholders involved. At municipal authority level, responsibility for tourism has largely been transferred from municipalities to Public Inter-municipal Co-operation Establishments (EPCI).

The overall budgetary allocation for tourism from State and local authorities is difficult to calculate as it includes the contributions of several ministerial departments. In 2022, the combined budget of the Regional Tourism Committees was EUR 140 million, while the Departmental Tourism Committee received EUR 222 million. Further, EUR 822 million was allocated for local tourism information offices. 

France: Organisational chart of tourism bodies

Source: OECD, adapted from the Directorate-General for Enterprise, 2024.

Tourism policies and programmes

The national long-term strategy for tourism, the Destination France Plan, was launched in November 2021 and is organised under five main pillars: (i) Winning over and winning back talent; (ii) Strengthening the sector's resilience and supporting the drive to improve the quality of its offering; (iii) Promoting and developing France's tourism assets; (iv) Meeting the challenges of transforming the tourism sector; (v) Promoting France as a destination and consolidating its market share. 

The Plan mobilises more than EUR 1.9 billion from 2022 to 2024, to position France as a leading sustainable tourism destination by 2030. By the end of 2023, more than EUR 1.2 billion had been committed to the Plan’s measures, including stimulus loans.  

Among the measures planned by the Destination France Plan, certain areas can be highlighted. Major sporting events, such as the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are promoted, involving a wide range of public and private actors. France aims to build on the legacy of these events to boost visitor numbers and tourism revenue over the long-term, relying on the modern image sporting events can highlight and on the great visibility the events will bring to certain territories.

France is also revising and modernising laws and regulations in the tourism sector. For example, the classification standards for tourism accommodation are regularly updated, to include sustainability criteria. To improve the balance between short-term rentals and the current housing stock, France aims to enhance the collection and transmission of data on accommodation from rental platforms to local authorities in 2024. This includes setting up a platform for centralising the exchange of information between digital operators and local authorities (provided for in the bill to secure and regulate the digital space). France will also adapt its law to meet the new European regulation on short-term rentals. 

In 2022-23, a national campaign was organised by the Ministry for the Economy to promote tourism jobs. The Directorate General for Enterprise also organised the first Tourism Careers Week, which included more than 1 300 events across France. The aim was to make the tourism sector more appealing to young people and jobseekers. After a successful first edition, a second edition of the event was held in March 2024. The Directorate has also worked with the tourism sector to draw up a multi-year plan for seasonal workers (2023-25), which includes 15 commitments.

In 2023, France's national tourism development agency, Atout France, carried out the Horizons 2040 study, which formalises four scenarios for the future of tourism in France. These scenarios aim to guide the development of tourism policies in France and provide useful insights for tourism stakeholders.

France has initiated several programmes to support its commitment to sustainable tourism. Among these actions is the creation of a table of sustainable tourism indicators, which will enrich the statistics provided by the France Tourism Observation portal managed by Atout France. The measures also include the greening of all tourist accommodation classification benchmarks (hotels, campsites, etc.) and actions undertaken with tourism professionals to better distribute tourist flows and avoid overcrowding-related issues in tourist destinations (see box below).

Promoting a better distribution of tourist flows in France

To contribute to the sustainability and acceptance of tourism, France aims to avoid the phenomena of overcrowding. A balanced distribution of tourist flows throughout the territory is needed, especially as 80% of tourism is concentrated in just 20% of the territory annually. Key actions include:

• Encouraging tourism activities in sparsely populated areas. This includes the promotion of slow tourism and tourism based on showcasing traditional know-how and crafts. Destination France has dedicated EUR 13 million in funding to support these two new initiatives.

• Increasing the availability of consulting services to help professionals to diversify the tourist offer in rural destinations and in mountain resorts to move towards more attractive, more diversified tourism, and better distributed over time. EUR 331 million has been allocated under the Mountain Futures Plan and EUR 55 million under the Destination France Plan.

• Stepping up investment to develop low-carbon mobility projects. The Mountain Futures Plan provides for the reinstatement of 1 000 km of mountain trails (EUR 10 million) and the introduction of engineering support to improve mobility (EUR 10 million). Destination France is strengthening the France Seaview programme with the repair and tourist promotion of 1 200 km of coastal paths, after which a total of 7 000 km of coastal paths will be open to the public.

• Launching France’s National Strategy for Managing Tourist Flows in June 2023. It aims to preserve the balance between the development of the local economic fabric, and the sustainability and preservation of tourist sites. It is structured around four lines: i) disseminating a common understanding of the management of tourist flows; ii) raising awareness among stakeholders and users regarding the management of tourist flows; iii) measuring tourist flows and impacts to better manage them; and iv) support territories in managing flows. The Strategy involves creating a national observatory for major tourist sites, measuring the acceptability of tourist flows amongst locals and raising awareness among tourists and influencers.

Statistical Profile

France: Domestic, inbound and outbound tourism

	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
TOURISM FLOWS, THOUSAND
Domestic tourism
Total domestic trips	268 152	299 315 |	212 547	252 240	274 644
Overnight visitors (tourists)	189 755	207 624 |	152 119	187 321	201 310
Same-day visitors (excursionists)	78 397	91 691 |	60 428	64 919	73 335
Nights in all types of accommodation	897 591	921 767 |	768 138	865 396	889 900
Hotels and similar establishments	..	306 077 |	235 128	277 539	285 398
Other collective establishments	..	87 991 |	64 311	77 925	80 132
Private accommodation	..	527 698 |	468 699	509 932	524 371
Inbound tourism
Total international arrivals	211 998	217 877	117 109	141 297	230 675
Overnight visitors (tourists)	89 322	90 914	41 684	48 395	93 196
Same-day visitors (excursionists)	122 676	126 963	75 424	92 902	137 478
Top markets
United Kingdom	13 008	12 403	4 560	3 263	11 303
Germany	12 272	13 606	6 447	7 515	14 083
Belgium	10 507	11 854	7 203	8 314	12 192
Italy	6 963	7 419	3 277	3 359	8 023
Switzerland	6 772	6 506	3 657	4 750	8 433
Nights in all types of accommodation	596 784	619 887	298 289	375 456	..
Hotels and similar establishments	..	..	..	..	..
Other collective establishments	..	..	..	..	..
Private accommodation	..	..	..	..	..
Outbound tourism
Total international departures	48 069	52 542 |	20 803	21 366	39 484
Overnight visitors (tourists)	30 509	38 301 |	11 461	13 108	28 085
Same-day visitors (excursionists)	17 560	14 241 |	9 342	8 258	11 399
Top destinations
Spain	4 526	6 175 |	1 652	2 990	..
Italy	3 311	3 847 |	1 149	1 556	..
Great Britain + Ireland	1 804	2 577 |	596	250	..
Belgium + Luxembourg	1 727	2 012 |	998	931	..
Portugal	1 627	1 906 |	642	876	..
TOURISM RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE, MILLION EUR
Inbound tourism
Total international receipts	61 555	63 313	31 303	37 973	64 488
International travel receipts	55 490	56 730	28 510	34 498	56 670
International passenger transport receipts	6 065	6 583	2 793	3 475	7 818
Outbound tourism
Total international expenditure	50 164	53 407	27 589	33 081	45 864
International travel expenditure	41 978	45 148	25 151	30 473	39 221
International passenger transport expenditure	8 186	8 259	2 438	2 608	6 643

.. Not available; | Break in series

Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

Statlink

France: Enterprises and employment in tourism

	Number of establishments1	Number of persons employed2
	2022 p	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Total	..	1 736 392	1 792 001	1 618 282	1 534 176	..
Tourism industries	264 514	1 720 695	1 792 001	1 618 282	1 534 176	..
Accommodation services for visitors	52 128	361 227	372 326	325 679	366 237	..
Hotels and similar establishments	19 117	184 638	190 044	152 036	179 527	..
Food and beverage serving industry	174 451	852 500	901 384	819 395	940 740	..
Passenger transport	6 508	290 254	290 574	268 351	..	..
Air passenger transport	494	60 143	60 402	55 924	54 287	..
Railways passenger transport	1 659	100 129	96 568	85 365	83 951	..
Road passenger transport	3 639	120 002	123 225	117 856	118 791	..
Water passenger transport	716	9 980	10 379	9 206	9 757	..
Passenger transport supporting services	..	..	..	..	..	..
Transport equipment rental	3 271	18 715	19 232	18 107	19 545	..
Travel agencies and other reservation services industry	7 330	45 772	47 582	40 952	41 308	..
Cultural industry	1 375	25 660	26 337	24 368	26 151	..
Sports and recreation industry	19 451	126 567	134 566	121 430	140 195	..
Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods	..	..	..	..	..	..
Other country-specific tourism industries	..	..	..	..	..	..
Other industries	..	15 697	..	..	..	..

.. Not available; p Provisional data

1. Data refer to number of enterprises.

2. Data refer to number of employees.

Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

Statlink

France: Internal tourism consumption

Million EUR

	2021
	Domestic tourism expenditure	Inbound tourism expenditure	Internal tourism consumption
Total	78 200	37 800	137 600
Consumption products	..	..	..
Tourism characteristic products	46 900	26 100	94 600
Accommodation services for visitors	15 100	12 900	49 600
Food and beverage serving services	8 000	4 900	12 900
Passenger transport services	16 200	5 700	21 900
Air passenger transport services	4 900	2 600	7 500
Railways passenger transport services	5 400	700	6 100
Road passenger transport services	1 200	900	2 100
Water passenger transport services	200	200	400
Passenger transport supporting services	..	..	..
Transport equipment rental services	4 300	1 200	5 500
Travel agencies and other reservation services industry	3 300	400	3 700
Cultural services	800	500	1 300
Sports and recreation services	3 500	1 700	5 200
Country-specific tourism characteristic goods	..	..	..
Country-specific tourism characteristic services	..	..	..
Other consumption products	31 300	11 700	43 000
Tourism connected products	..	..	..
Non-tourism related consumption products	..	..	..
Non-consumption products	..	..	..

.. Not available

Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

Statlink