Last updated: October 19, 2022, by Grant Thomas
🔖Cite this webpage (Thomas, Grant. “Latest France Travel Statistics & Data”. visasassociation.com, October 19, 2022, https://visasassociation.com/statistics/france-travel-statistics)
Note: The latest statistics and travel data available about France are for 2021. We will update this page as soon as the 2022 Schengen Visa and tourism statistics on France are available.
Highlights: Latest France Tourism Statistics & Trends
- Over the past years, France has been the most popular destination country with the highest number of Schengen Visa applications.
- In 2021, France received 0.9% fewer Schengen Visa applications compared with 2020.
- In 2021, France’s Schengen Visa approval rate was 78.9%.
- In 2021, the occupancy of tourist accommodation establishments in France was a quarter lower compared with the pre-pandemic levels.
- During the first quarter of 2021, only a third of the rooms in hotels in Metropolitan France was occupied.
- In 2021, the ĂŽle-de-France region accounted for half of the tourism decline in France.
- In 2021, domestic and international tourists spent 141 billion euros in Metropolitan France.
- In 2021, the Paris region recorded 22.6 million domestic and international visitors, an increase of 30% compared to 2020.
- In 2021, the contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the GDP in France increased by 33% compared to 2020, reaching 161.5 billion euros.
- In 2021, Algeria submitted over 88,500 (13.6%) Schengen Visa applications for France.
- In 2021, the countries with the highest France Schengen Visa rejection rate were Iraq (48.2%) and Angola (44.9%).
- In 2021, France recorded the highest number of overnight stays spent by resident visitors in July since 2011 (14.8 million).
Tourism recovering in France, but not back to pre-pandemic levels
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak dramatically affected the tourism sector in France, with the contribution of the travel and tourism sector falling to just 108 billion euros from 211 billion euros in 2019.
With the gradual lifting of travel restrictions in 2021, a rise in the number of nights spent by residents has provided some relief to the country.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), the recovery of the tourism sector was more significant on the coast and in the mountains than in large urban zones.
However, the numbers achieved in 2021 were not enough to reach the pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
This is because the return to non-resident visitors remained flat in 2021, especially in the ĂŽle-de-France region where arrivals of non-residents were at 21% of their summer pre-pandemic levels.
In addition, employment remained stagnant in 2021, after suffering a loss of nearly 200,000 jobs due to restrictions on travel and daily life.
- In 2021, France received 652,331 Schengen Visa applications, -0.9% compared with 2020.
- In 2021, France received 84% fewer Schengen Visa applications compared with 2019.
- France issued 480,057 Schengen Visas in 2021, 13% or 72,336 fewer than in 2020.
- In 2021, France recorded 961.3 million overnight stays, an increment of 12% compared to 2020.
- During the first quarter of 2021, the ĂŽle-de-France region recorded a drop of 81% in hotel occupancy compared with the same period in 2019.
- In the first quarter of 2021, hotel overnight stays in France recorded a drop of 63.7% compared with the same period in 2019.
- In the second quarter of 2021, hotel occupancy was 39% of the pre-pandemic levels.
- In the second quarter of 2021, hotel overnight stays in France recorded a drop of 60.9% compared with the same period in 2019.
- In the third quarter of 2021, hotel overnight stays in France recorded a drop of 18% compared with the same period in 2019.
- In the fourth quarter of 2021, hotel overnight stays in France recorded a drop of 12.4% compared with the same period in 2019.
- During the fourth quarter of 2021, France recorded a drop of 42% in overnight stays from the United Kingdom compared with the same period in 2019.
- In August 2021, the number of nights spent at hotels by non-resident tourists in Metropolitan France increased by 35% over the same period in 2020.
- In August 2021, the number of arrivals at hotels in Metropolitan France increased by 11% over the same period in 2020.
- In August 2021, France recorded approximately the same number of arrivals of resident tourists at hotels in Metropolitan France as in August 2020 (8,600 and 8,200, respectively).
- In August 2021, the occupancy rate in hotels in Paris was 49.8%, with 18.7 percentage points higher than in August 2020.
- In 2021, 3-star hotels were the most popular among visitors of Metropolitan France.
- In 2021, France recorded 25,800 overnight stays in 1 and 2-star hotels, a very slight increase compared with 2020 (0.39%).
- In 2021, France recorded 47,300 overnight stays in 3-star hotels, an increase of 13% compared with 2020.
- In 2021, France recorded 30,915 overnight stays in 4 and 5-star hotels, an increase of 20% compared with 2020.
- In August 2021, the hotel occupancy rate in France was 63.4, showing an increase of 3.9 percentage points compared with the same period in 2020.
- In October 2021, France recorded 51.3% fewer international visitors compared with the same period in 2019.
- In October 2021, France recorded 56.9% fewer business visitors compared with the same period in 2019.
- Between 2019 and 2021, the average length of stay in hotels in France was 1.8 days.
- In 2021, France recorded 118,195 overnight stays in hotels, an increase of 10% compared to 2020.
- In October 2021, the international arrivals in Metropolitan France from Western Europe dropped by 37.2% compared to the same period in 2019.
International Arrivals in Metropolitan France in October 2021 Compared with October 2019 (%)
- In 2021, France ranked no.1 for the number of Schengen Visa applications received.
- In July 2021, domestic and international visitors spent 18.9 million overnight stays in hotels in France which represents 81% of the pre-pandemic level.
- In July 2021, resident tourists spent 14.8 million overnight stays in hotels in France.
- In July 2021, international tourists from EU countries spent 3.5 million overnight stays in hotels in France.
- In July 2021, tourists from countries outside the EU spent 0.6 million overnight stays in hotels in France.
- In 2021, France recorded 66,520 arrivals in hotels, an increase of 10% compared with 2020.
- In 2021, France recorded 66,520 arrivals in hotels, a drop of 52% compared with 2019.
- In 2021, France recorded 18.4 million trips for professional purposes, an increase of 11% compared to 2020.
- In 2021, France recorded 181.8 million trips for professional purposes, an increase of 18% compared to 2020.
France: Latest Schengen Visa Applications and Tourism Trends
France’s Schengen Visa approval rate from 2015 to 2021
Countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for France from 2015 to 2021
Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in France from 2015 to 2021
Top 5 countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for France in 2021
Approval rates for the countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for France in 2021
Top 5 third countries that had the highest rejection rates for the Schengen Visa for France in 2021
Total overnight stays in hotels in France from 2015 to 2021
Total number of arrivals in hotels in France from 2015 to 2021
Total overnight stays in 1 and 2-star hotels in France from 2015 to 2021
Total overnight stays in 3-star hotels in France from 2015 to 2021
Total overnight stays in 4 and 5-star hotels in France from 2015 to 2021
Sources:
European Commission – Statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States
INSEE – National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies
Atout France – Note de conjoncture de l’Ă©conomie touristique
