France pulled in €57.9 billion from international tourism in 2022, a record for the country.

According to government tourism agency Atout France, the latest figures show that the country achieved “record” numbers last year.

“At the end of December 2022, receipts from international tourism in France were up by €1.2 billion compared to their level of 2019,” the agency states on their site. “This result is explained by the return of European and American customers but also by inflation which mechanically increases revenue in value.”

On the other hand, the flow of travellers from Asia, in particular from China and Japan, still remains very weak.

The foreign customers who spent the most in France in 2022 are nationals of three border countries: Belgium with €7.3 billion, 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.

After “good” activity during the Christmas holidays and in mountain areas despite a poor start to the snow season, Atout France is looking with “certain optimism” to the first quarter of 2023, “despite a context that is still difficult” economically and geopolitically with the war in Ukraine.

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Photo of Annecy by Monaco Life