Last updated: March 14, 2022, by Grant Thomas
🔖Cite this webpage (Thomas, Grant. “2020 France Travel Statistics & Data”. visasassociation.com, March 14, 2022, https://visasassociation.com/statistics/2020-france-travel-statistics)
Note: The latest France statistics and travel data available about France is for 2020. We will update this page as soon as France’s 2021 travel data and statistics are available.
Highlights: 2020 France Tourism Statistics & Trends
- Over the past years, France has been the top destination country with the highest number of Schengen Visa applications received.
- In 2020, the number of Schengen Visa applications for France dropped by 83%.
- In 2020, the countries with the highest France Schengen Visa rejection rate were Sudan (65.0%) and Senegal (54.6%).
- In 2020, the countries with the lowest France Schengen Visa rejection rate were Afghanistan (0.0%) and Belarus (0.4%).
- In 2020, France’s Schengen Visa approval rate was 81.5%.
- In 2020, overnight stays in hotels in Metropolitan France fell by 50.4%.
- In the summer of 2020, attendance in accommodation establishments reached three quarters compared with the summer 2019 level.
- In the summer of 2020, attendance at campsites reached 84% compared with the summer 2019 level.
- The number of international inbound visitors dropped by 51.3% in October 2021 compared to October 2019.
- In 2021, Paris, the capital city of France, was the sixth most visited city in the world.
Covid’s Impact on Schengen Visa Applications for France & Tourism in France
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in France and other European countries dramatically affected the tourism sector, leading to a sharp drop in the number of arrivals and economic losses of over 60 billion euros.
In mid-March, the French government adopted a number of restrictive measures to curb the contagion, causing a 66% drop in tourist arrivals in the first seven months of 2020.
As France is the world’s leading tourist destination with the most popular tourist attractions, the drop off in tourists arrivals had a significant impact on the French economy.
- In 2020, France received 659,000 Schengen Visa applications, 83% or 3,322,000 fewer than in 2019.
- France issued 552,000 Schengen Visas in 2020, 83% or 2,739,000 fewer than in 2019.
- In April and May 2020, hotels recorded a drop in occupancy of more than 90% compared with the same period in 2019.
- In July and August 2020, hotels recorded a drop in occupancy of 30%, thanks to domestic travellers.
- During the summer season, hotels recorded a drop in occupancy of 58% compared to the 2019 season.
- Total occupancy in accommodation establishments dropped by 64% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.
- In 2020, the total number of nights spent by French tourists (residents) in commercial accommodation establishments dropped by 26% compared with 2019.
- In 2020, the total number of nights spent by residents in non-commercial accommodation establishments dropped by 12% compared with 2019.
- From May to August 2021, accommodation establishments recorded 197,000,000 overnight stays (19% fewer than the summer 2019 level).
- Hotel occupancy in the second quarter of 2021 was 39% compared with the same period in 2019.
- In 2020, the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was 107.9 billion euros (48% or 102.8 billion euros less than in 2019).
- In 2020, the international tourist expenditure was 28.5 billion euros (53% or 31.9 billion euros less than 2019).
- In 2020, French tourism represented 4.7% of the national economy, 3.8% less compared with 2019.
- In April 2020, business overnight stays reached their lowest point, with 800,000 recorded (80% or 3,100,000 fewer than in April 2019).
- In August 2020, nights spent by residents in commercial accommodation establishments reached roughly the same levels as in August 2019 (over 91 million).
- In August 2020, nights spent by residents in non-commercial accommodation establishments was higher with 6.4% compared with August 2019.
- In Metropolitan France, hotel occupancy rates reached their lowest point in April 2020, with 14.6%.
- In Metropolitan France, hotel occupancy dropped by 50.4% in 2020 over the previous year.
- In October 2021, France received -51.3% international visitors compared with October 2019.
| Travel Main Purpose | Market Share | October 2021 (Compared with October 2019) |
| Business trips | 9.7% | -56.9% |
| Leisure purposes | 78.8% | -47.1% |
| Groups | 5.1% | -80.1% |
| Visit family and friends | 6.4% | -20.4% |
| Total international arrivals | 100.0% | -51.3% |
International Arrivals in Metropolitan France in October 2021 Compared with October 2019 (%)
Schengen Visa Applications and Tourism in France – 2020 Trends
○ France’s Schengen Visa approval rate from 2015 to 2020
○ Countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for France from 2015 to 2020
○ Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in France from 2015 to 2020
○ International tourist expenditure in France from 2015 to 2020
Note: Tourist expenditure includes all expenses for goods and services received in the destination country, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification.
○ In 2020, France ranked no. 1 for the number of Schengen Visa applications received
○ Top 5 countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for France in 2020
○ Approval rates for the countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for France in 2020
○ Top 5 third countries that had the highest rejection rates for the Schengen Visa for France in 2020
Sources:
European Commission – Statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States
European Travel Commission – EUROPEAN TOURISM: TRENDS & PROSPECTS Quarterly report (Q2/2021)
STATISTA – Travel and Tourism in France
INSEE – National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies
Atout France – Note de conjoncture de l’économie touristique
