Last reviewed 7 September 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the source named next to it; where two official series disagree, the difference is stated.
France is the most-visited country on Earth, and the gap keeps widening. A record 102 million international visitors arrived in 2025, up from 100 million in the Olympic year of 2024, according to Atout France, the national tourism development agency. International tourism revenue hit an all-time high of €77.5 billion in 2025 — 37% above 2019 — while the Louvre confirmed its position as the world's most-visited museum with 9 million visitors. This page gathers the latest official figures from Atout France, the Banque de France, Choose Paris Region, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower's operator SETE, current as of September 2026.
Key France tourism statistics
- France welcomed a record 102 million international arrivals in 2025, retaining its title as the world's most-visited country (Atout France).
- International tourism revenue reached €77.5 billion in 2025 — up 9% on 2024 and 37% on 2019 (Banque de France, via Atout France).
- 2024 was itself a record: 100 million visitors and €71 billion in international revenue, up 12% on 2023 (French Ministry of Tourism).
- International visitors racked up 743 million overnight stays in France in 2025 (+2%), including 261.2 million nights in commercial accommodation (+7.5%), and spent an average of €760 per visitor, up 7% (French Ministry of the Economy, 2025 tourism review).
- Paris Region drew 49.1 million tourists in 2025 (+1%), including a record 23.2 million international visitors (+3%), and tourist spending reached a record €23.6 billion (Visit Paris Region); the Olympic year of 2024 had brought 48.7 million tourists and €23.4 billion (Choose Paris Region).
- The Louvre drew 9 million visitors in 2025 and the Eiffel Tower 6.75 million — both up on 2024.
- Tourism directly contributes 3.6% of French GDP (€82.1 billion), and hospitality and catering employ 1.3 million people in the private sector, on the latest tourism satellite-account data for 2022 (Atout France).
The world's most-visited country
- France's 102 million international arrivals in 2025 beat runner-up Spain, which recorded 96.8 million foreign tourists, up 3.2% (INE Frontur, 2025). See how the runner-up compares in our Spain tourism statistics.
- Spain still out-earns France — €105.2 billion in international tourism receipts in 2025 (+6.9%, Banco de España) versus France's €77.5 billion (+9%) — though France is now growing faster (Euronews; Banco de España).
- Roughly 76% of France's international visitors come from elsewhere in Europe (Euronews).
- The French government has set a target of €100 billion in annual tourism revenue by 2030 (Euronews).
- France's arrivals are up 13% on 2019, showing the recovery has turned into outright growth (Atout France).
- Early 2026 has been mixed: international receipts reached €23.0 billion in January–April 2026 (Banque de France) and commercial-accommodation nights were up 2% in February–April, but international air arrivals to metropolitan France were down 2.5% in January–May 2026 versus 2025 (Atout France, June 2026 flash note).
Tourism revenue and the visitor economy
- International tourism receipts hit €77.5 billion in 2025, a record, after €71 billion in 2024 (Banque de France figures via Atout France).
- British visitors are France's biggest spenders: €7.9 billion in 2024, ahead of Americans on €6.9 billion — both up around 6% on 2023 (Banque de France, via The Connexion).
- Belgium, the UK, Germany, Switzerland and the United States are the top five revenue-generating markets (Campus France).
- Tourism's direct contribution to GDP is 3.6%, worth €82.1 billion, and hospitality and catering account for 6.5% of all private-sector salaried jobs (Atout France, 2022 satellite-account data); the ministry puts total domestic tourism consumption at €222 billion in 2025.
- Total tourism investment reached €18.7 billion in 2024, with an average of €21 billion invested annually in recent years (Atout France).
- France's official strategy now prioritises longer stays and higher-value trips — luxury hotels, gastronomy and wellness — over raw visitor volume (The Connexion). For the wider market context, see our luxury travel statistics.
Paris and the 2024 Olympic effect
- Paris Region welcomed 48.7 million tourists in 2024, up 2% on 2023, with tourist spending up 8% to €23.4 billion (Choose Paris Region).
- 2025 held the gains: 49.1 million tourists visited Paris Region (+1% on 2024, still 3% below 2019), split between 25.9 million French visitors (-1%) and a record 23.2 million international visitors (+3%); spending hit a record €23.6 billion, with international visitors contributing €15.6 billion (+5%) while French spending fell 6% to €8 billion (Visit Paris Region, March 2026).
- The Olympic and Paralympic period generated 7.1 million tourist stays, up 11% on the same period of 2023 (Choose Paris Region).
- During the Games, Greater Paris hosted 11.2 million visitors in total, and 9.5 million tickets were sold to spectators from 222 countries (Ville de Paris).
- Games-time hotel occupancy hit 84% (85.5% in the luxury segment), average room rates jumped 111% and revenue per available room rose 147% (Ville de Paris; Choose Paris Region).
- Air traffic through Paris airports reached 103 million passengers in 2024, up 4% on 2023 (Choose Paris Region), and 106.96 million in 2025 (+3.4%) — 72.0 million at Charles de Gaulle and 34.9 million at Orly — taking Paris Aéroport back to 99% of its 2019 level (Groupe ADP).
- Holiday rentals boomed alongside hotels: 14.7 million rental nights were booked in Paris Region in 2024, up 24% year on year, and a further 14.9 million (+1%) in 2025 (Choose Paris Region; Visit Paris Region).
Top source markets
- The United States is Paris Region's biggest international market with 2.7 million visitors in 2024, just ahead of the United Kingdom on 2.6 million (Choose Paris Region). Curious how traffic flows the other way? See our London tourism statistics.
- Italy (1.6 million), Germany (1.5 million) and Spain (1.4 million) complete Paris Region's top five (Choose Paris Region).
- The 2025 ranking was unchanged: the United States led with 2.8 million visitors to Paris Region (+1%), followed by the United Kingdom (2.5 million, +2%), Italy (1.6 million), Germany (1.5 million) and Spain (1.4 million) — 9.7 million between them (Visit Paris Region, 2025 annual results).
- Long-haul markets are surging: Brazilian visitor numbers to Paris Region rose 27% and Chinese numbers 37% in 2024 (Choose Paris Region).
- Nationwide, Chinese overnight stays jumped 40% and Japanese stays 20% in 2024, with India, Mexico, Canada and South Korea also growing strongly (Campus France).
- In 2025, German overnight stays grew a further 9%, the Italian, Spanish, Belgian and Dutch markets rose 5%, and North American visitors grew by more than 10%, led by the United States; Asian markets remain below pre-Covid levels, with Japan recovering faster than China (French Ministry of the Economy, 2025 tourism review).
Museums: the Louvre leads the world
- The Louvre welcomed 9 million visitors in 2025 — up from 8.7 million in 2024 and back above its 2023 level — keeping it the world's most-visited museum (Club Innovation & Culture France).
- In 2025, 73% of Louvre visitors were foreign; in 2024 the US alone supplied 13% of all visitors, and China's share more than doubled to 6% (Musée du Louvre).
- The Games briefly dented culture: museum and monument attendance fell about 20% during the Olympic fortnight before a strong post-Games rebound (Choose Paris Region).
- The Château de Versailles drew 8.4 million visitors in 2025, the Musée d'Orsay 3.79 million and the Arc de Triomphe 1.85 million (Club Innovation & Culture France).
- Montmartre's Sacré-Cœur basilica attracts an estimated 11 million visitors a year — more than the Eiffel Tower — fuelling overtourism concerns in the neighbourhood (Euronews).
The Eiffel Tower's exceptional year
- More than 6.75 million visitors went up the Eiffel Tower in 2025 — close to 450,000 more than in 2024 (SETE).
- A further 10 million people visited the tower's free-access forecourt during the year (SETE).
- French visitors make up around 21% of the tower's audience, followed by Americans (13%) and Germans (7.5%) — with Canada newly in the top seven (SETE).
- SETE credits the record to better visitor-flow management, favourable weather, the post-Olympic effect and the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris (SETE).
Sources
- Atout France — Tourism in the French economy
- Choose Paris Region / Visit Paris Region — 2024 tourism results press release
- Ville de Paris — Paris 2024 Games: 11.2 million visitors to Greater Paris
- SETE — An exceptional year for visitor numbers at the Eiffel Tower
- Musée du Louvre — 8.7 million visitors in 2024
- Club Innovation & Culture France — 2025 attendance at French museums and heritage sites
- Campus France — 2024, a record year for international tourism in France
- Euronews — France welcomed record visitor numbers in 2025
- The Connexion — France's 2024 tourism boom and upgraded strategy
- French Ministry of the Economy — Bilan touristique 2025: 102 million visitors, €77.5 billion in receipts
- Visit Paris Region / Choose Paris Region — 2025 annual tourism results for Paris Île-de-France
- Groupe ADP — December and full-year 2025 traffic at Paris Aéroport
- Atout France — Conjoncture et dernières tendances (June 2026 flash note)
- INE — Frontur, December and full-year 2025 (Spain)
