Paris no longer attracts as before - Xavier Francolon / SIPA

Tourist attendance increased slightly in the last quarter of 2019, driven by French customers, according to INSEE, while foreigners were less numerous and social movements weighed on the sector at the end of the year.

From October to December, the use of collective tourist accommodation - expressed in overnight stays - increased by 0.8% over one year, after two quarters of “more sustained increase”, according to provisional figures published on Friday.

France self-helps

As in the previous quarter, growth was driven by French customers (+ 2.7%) while the attendance of foreign tourists fell (−3.8%), details the public institute of statistics.

Over the last three months of the year, the number of French customers in hotels increased by 3.9%, which offsets the decline in foreign tourists (−4.7%), on which INSEE does not gives no explanations.

Paris suffers

In Ile-de-France, where transport was severely disrupted in December by strikes and demonstrations linked to the contestation of the pension reform, attendance fell overall by 0.9% in the last quarter, with a marked decline non-resident customers (−4.9%), while activity increased for residents (+ 3.8%).

In the hotel industry, overnight stays increased by 1% year-on-year, after + 0.4% the previous quarter, and establishments classified 3, 4 or 5 stars, "stand out thanks to the frequentation" of the French clientele (+ 6.7%).

Revenge of the province

Attendance increased in hotels in provincial towns (+ 1.8%), again thanks to French tourists (+ 4.3%) while the nights spent by non-residents fell (−7.3%).

As for the use of other collective tourist accommodation (campsites, holiday villages, residences, etc.), it "stabilized (+ 0.1%) after two quarters of sustained growth (+ 2.6% over one year), because of tourist residences ”.

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