Paris (AFP)
Tourism attendance rebounded in the second quarter in France, all types of accommodation combined, after a decline early in the year related to the social movement of "yellow vests", which had particularly affected the Ile-de-France, according to the INSEE.
From April to June the number of collective tourist accommodation - expressed in nights - increased by 3.5% in the territory, compared to the same period of 2018, according to provisional figures published Thursday.
This rebound, which comes as much from foreign customers (+ 3.8%) as from that from France (+ 3.3%), follows a sharp decline in the first quarter (2.6% and even? 4.6% in Ile-de-France), which put an end to more than two years of continuous increase in tourist numbers.
In the hotel industry, overnight stays increased by 2.5% in the second quarter, after a 1.3% drop in the previous quarter, with a marked dynamism in hotels classified 4 or 5 stars (+ 6%), while hotels ranked 1 and 2 stars see, their attendance drop (3.4%).
The activity of high-end hotels is supported by both the number of visitors to France (+ 2.6%) and foreign tourists (+ 2.2%).
Attendance increased in all the geographical areas: in Île-de-France (+ 2.3%), in provincial urban areas (+ 3%), ski resorts (+ 2.6%) or on the coastline (+ 2.4%), still in the second quarter.
As for attendance at other collective tourist accommodation (tourist residences, holiday villages, family houses, youth hostels), it is also rising again (+ 2.6%), after a sharp decline in the previous quarter (? 4.9%).
Lastly, from April to June, the number of visitors to campsites rose by 6.3% compared to the same period of 2018, mainly thanks to foreign clients (+ 8.1%), INSEE notes. It is more dynamic in campsites located on the coast (+ 7.8%) thanks to "mild weather conditions for this beginning of the season".
In 2018, the Hexagon experienced a record of tourist attendance with more than 438 million overnight stays, a figure up 2.4% compared to the previous year.
© 2019 AFP