According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attendance increased by 2.3% over the first eight months. This trend is expected to continue until the end of the year. France is expected to remain the world’s top tourist destination, especially as the government has launched new promotional initiatives for France. However, it is in terms of revenue that good news is anticipated.
The Bank of France has released data that allows for reasonable optimism on this front. So much so that the previous record of 2014 is expected to be surpassed; at that time, tourists spent 54 billion euros in France. Between July 2017 and June 2018, the sector generated 56 billion euros (after 53.7 billion for the entire previous year). The tourism sector’s balance, which is the difference between income and expenses, reached 17.5 billion euros, a level not seen since 2013.
France remains in third place in the ranking of tourism revenues, behind the United States and Spain. Belgium is the highest-spending country in France, with a total of 6.5 billion euros (12% of the revenue). Among the top ten countries with the highest tourist spending, there are seven European countries, two Asian countries, and the United States. English, German, Spanish, and American tourists spent 13% to 15% more compared to last year; however, Chinese tourists spent 8.4% less.
