Foreign tourists brought 57.9 billion to France in 2022, a record according to Atout France, revenues even lower than those of the great Spanish rival, according to figures published Monday, February 27 by the agency Atout France, responsible for the promotion of French tourism abroad.
“At the end of December 2022, international tourism receipts in France were up by 1.2 billion euros compared to their 2019 level”, she explains in an economic note published on her site. “This result is explained by the return of European and American customers but also by inflation which mechanically increases revenue in value”, it is further specified. On the other hand, the flows of travelers “from Asia, in particular from China or Japan, still remain very weak, although increasing slightly at the end of the year”.
And in terms of revenue from international tourism, France remains ahead of Spain, “which regains its European leadership in 2022” since Madrid had already accumulated 64.8 billion euros at the end of November.
Among the foreign customers who spent the most in France in 2022 are nationals of three neighboring countries: Belgium with 7.3 billion euros, Germany with 6.5 billion and the United Kingdom with 6.2 billion. . The United States ranks fifth with $5.6 billion in cumulative spending in 2022.
Air traffic down 31% compared to 2019
Atout France’s note looks back on air traffic in 2022: “Over the whole year, it is still down -31% compared to 2019, mainly due to the weakness of flows in originating from Asia. An observation tinged with optimism: “But the light may be at the end of the tunnel: while China is reopening the borders for its nationals, other distant markets such as India, South Korea or Australia show signs of growth in the coming months. »
An influx carried in particular by India as mentioned in the report: “It will become, in 2023, the most populous country in the world, and will experience a favorable economic situation, with a population strongly wishing to travel again. “says the organization.
Another positive aspect: the domestic clientele which would have gradually found, throughout the year, the path of tourism: “The rate of departure of French people for travel in metropolitan France is established over the whole year at 23%, a rate close to the baseline situation in 2019 with overnight stays down by only 5%. »
After “good” activity during the Christmas holidays and in the mountain areas, despite initially “poor or even absent snow cover”, Atout France is looking with “some optimism” to the first quarter of 2023, “despite a context that is still difficult” economically (inflation) and geopolitically, with the war in Ukraine.
