The City of Light’s tourist numbers dimmed over the last two years as terrorist attacks rocked Paris. But new numbers suggest that by the end of 2016 tourism levels had returned to normal. Basically the good news for the tourism industry is that Paris is back.
Tourism increased by nearly 20% last year according to Paris’ official tourism office. 2015 was a tough year for Paris with a number of terrorist incidents throughout the year and predictably tourist arrivals dropped precipitously. However the French are resilient and French nationals, especially business travelers led the recent uptick in travel arrivals. One thing our Editors have often noted in traveling across France is that domestic travelers have always been present. people in all countries tend to support their national tourism industry but in France it’s a cultural touchstone to travel within the country. And this makes sense when you look at the diversity of regions within France and the wealth of different travel opportunities. As well there’s great travel infrastructure. Still we think a lot of Paris’ recent French arrivals was part of a patriotic outpouring to support the capital.
But the good news for Parisian hotels and bistros is that international visitors are also coming back in record numbers. Visits from the US rose by 2 % while Chinese arrivals surged by a whopping 41%. In essence this means the Parisian travel industry is enjoying the best of both worlds. They have surging global arrivals and a strong domestic market as well. the domestic market is nice as they tend to travel at off-peak times from international travelers. In case all of this talk of travel has inspired you to visit the City of Lights click here for our insider’s tips on how to pick the best Paris Bistro.
“There have never been so many American and Chinese people checking into hotels in the Paris region,” the Paris tourism office boasted. However all is not perfect, Italian travelers are down 35% and Japanese arrivals are still are only at 50% of pre-attack levels. Still Paris is understandably breathing a sigh of relief.
The City of Lights is burning a little brighter these days.
