ECONOMY: In a study published on Wednesday, INSEE highlights the weight of the attacks in France, hit tourism this summer …
The destination France is a risk? This is what many more foreign tourists seem to think of France. The first results of the summer especially bad for the French Riviera and the Paris area, was confirmed Wednesday by the official figures from INSEE.
Saison touristique d’été 2016 : l’Insee publie une étude nationale et des études régionales https://t.co/mm6JYidnHl pic.twitter.com/AjAxOlG8jI
— Insee (@InseeFr) November 23, 2016
Downturn in foreign clientele
Tourist collective accommodation (hotel camping) metropolitan France registered a total of 262 million overnight stays between May and September, down 2.5% compared to the 2015 season, which followed up 3% in the summer of 2014.
French customers has fared better than foreign clients, with -1% decline in attendance against -5.5%.
Sharp decline in urban areas and on the coast
It is especially in urban areas the decline was the strongest, with -5%, “due to a sharp decline in the Paris area (-12.7%) despite a 1% increase in provincial towns, “says INSEE in his Focus.
The season was particularly bad for the coast (-3.6%), particularly in its early penalized “by the weather and fewer bridges than in 2015”.
The decline in overnight stays was particularly strong in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (-8.6%), “the decline is very marked in July and more in August and September in the coastal hotels, partly due to the impact of the Nice attack on the 14th July”, it is stressed.
Good resistance in rural areas
The drop in attendance was -6.7% in the Loire Valley, and -4.2% in Normandy.
In summer, however, was positive for rural areas (2.7%) and mountains (+ 0.6%), with the Alps in particular benefited from the return of foreign customers while growth in the Pyrenees and the other mass was increased by the only French customers.
