In the past three decades, France has consolidated its reputation of global leading travel market thanks to an incredibly rich tourism offer, ranging from the world-famous attractions of Paris to the French Riviera and the picturesque towns in the Alps. Aside from the strong contribution of domestic visitors, generating around two-thirds of
, the country is known for being the most visited global destination by inbound tourists. In 2023, France maintained the top spot in the ranking of
, with arrivals reaching 100 million, the highest figure recorded to date. That year, the
also recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing by roughly four percent compared to 2019.
What are the leading inbound and outbound travel markets in France?
Both before and after the onset of the health crisis, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Belgium accounted for the highest
share of international tourist arrivals in France. In 2023, these three markets combined represented 40 percent of arrivals in the European destination. On the other hand, two Mediterranean countries, Spain and Italy, ranked as the
most visited travel destinations from France based on the share of departures in 2023, followed by the United Kingdom and Morocco. Overall, despite the strong rebound in
France’s outbound tourism spending experienced in 2023, the expenditure of French travelers abroad remained slightly below pre-pandemic figures.
Paris’ contribution to travel and tourism in France
Home of the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, the
most visited museum in the world, Paris is a key driver of the country’s inbound tourism market. Looking at the
number of international tourist arrivals in leading city destinations in Europe, the French capital ranked ahead of London, Istanbul, and Barcelona in 2023, with nearly 22 million arrivals. When considering the
total number of tourist arrivals to Paris and the Île-de-France region, including inbound and domestic travelers, this figure rose to over 47 million that year, growing by eight percent from 2022 and nearly catching up with pre-pandemic levels.
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