Longer stays and luxury experiences: could France’s ‘upgraded’ tourism strategy combat overtourism fears?

France welcomed over 100 million visitors in 2024, continuing its run as the top tourist destination in the world, according to official figures published by the French government. 

"With the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the reopening of Notre-Dame, and 80 years since the D-Day landings, 2024 was an unprecedented and exceptional year for France,” said France’s Tourism Minister, Nathalie Delattre in a press release. 

In addition to attracting a record number of visitors, France generated €71 billion in 2024, some 12% up on 2023, with tourists from Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the United States cited as the main sources of French tourism revenue.

Levels of tourist spending may be record-breaking in France, however it is significantly lower than neighbouring Spain where visitors, despite being fewer in number, spent €126 billion last year.

Leslie Rival of French tourism think-tank, Alliance France Tourisme (AFT), told The Connexion that tourist revenue may be lower in France due to the perception of the country as a “stop-over destination”. 

“The idea that tourists are spending less in France could be misleading. It is not so much a question of daily expenditure - which remains high, particularly for North American, Asian and Middle Eastern tourists - but rather the length of stay. In other words, it is not that tourists do not spend much, it is that they could spend more if they stayed longer.” she said.

Visitors from European countries tend to pass through France while traveling to their final destination. This “shortens the average length of stay compared to seaside or island destinations such as the Maldives or certain regions of Spain,” said Ms Rival. 

Reports suggest however that some Spanish destinations, as well as tourist hotspots in other European countries, are receiving too many visitors. Protesters in Barcelona took to shooting tourists with water pistols in July 2024. Similar acts have since been repeated this summer. At the start of June, anti-tourist groups in cities across southern Europe such as Lisbon and Venice, protested to highlight the strain on local resources and infrastructure caused by overtourism.

Read also: Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Brittany; Calls for ban on cruise ships grow in France

Paris-based tour guide Emelyne Bonnes, owner of Paris by Emy, suggests that France’s capital city has also “started to fight against mass tourism” that is “way too heavy to handle” at certain landmark sites. She recalled a strike held at the Louvre on June 16, leaving the museum inaccessible for several hours as staff protested overtourism and poor working conditions.

Tourism investment despite record-breaking tourist numbers

France is keen to continue investing in its tourism industry following the 2024 boom, battling overtourism fears with a focus on quality over quantity. 

“France is historically a great tourist nation. Unlike certain destinations such as Barcelona, where tourist pressure is concentrated in a few districts and gives rise to local tensions, France has a vast, diverse territory that is very well equipped to welcome visitors in conditions that are respectful of the environment and local communities,” said Ms Rival.

“Our ambition is not to attract more people at any cost, but to attract better. France is banking on an upgraded tourism offer to attract an international clientele with high spending power,” she said.

The French government has described plans to:

• Improve the quality of touristic offerings and spreading visitor numbers throughout the year (as opposed to being concentrated to certain seasons),

• Support the sector in its ecological and digital transition, 

• Enhance the attractiveness of professions within the tourism sector, 

• Ensure social and inclusive tourism practices.

The new tourism strategy also aims to “encourage visitors to extend their stay, to discover areas other than just the great classics like Paris, the Côte d'Azur, the Loire, and to consume more high-value services: top-of-the-range hotels, gastronomy, culture, well-being, sporting activities or wine tourism,” said Ms Rival. 

Read also: ‘We came to France for a 12-month sabbatical and decided to stay’

A press release published on June 23 states that the momentum observed in 2024 has continued its rhythm into the first half of 2025, with a “very encouraging outlook” for the summer season.

British and American tourists are ‘sought after’ 

Some English-speaking visitors report finding France an ‘isolating’ place to visit, leaning into the cliché of French people being perceived as ‘rude’, however AFT and tourism bodies are actively rejecting these attitudes. 

Read also: French people are not rude, just direct

“France has always enjoyed a strong, warm and respectful relationship with its Anglo-Saxon visitors. British and North American visitors are among the most loyal to our destination and we have a genuine affection for them. Not only are they welcome, but they are sought after for the quality of their commitment to French culture, their curiosity, their level of spending, and their role as international influencers,” stated Ms Rival. 

She highlighted that hospitality professionals within the tourism sector have received training and language lessons to “open up to the international market” while preserving the French identity.

“There is no stigmatisation: on the contrary, there is a clear desire to better understand and welcome all types of clientele, in a spirit of openness and friendliness.”