Affected by the attacks in Paris and Nice, French tourism authorities will not easily maintain their very ambitious goal of 100 million tourists in 2020.
The number one world destination, France welcomed 84.5 million foreign tourists last year, an increase of 0.9% compared to 2014.
According to Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, the terrorist attacks of November 2015 “has limited progress of the industry, particularly in the capital.”
With the repeated strikes and demonstrations, French tourism experienced a complicated spring. After the first emergency economic meeting on tourism in France on July 13, the government nevertheless upheld its goal of 100 million tourists in 2020.
However, the attack in Nice that occurred the following day calls this ambitious goal into question. Starting on July 15, the president of hotel managers in Nice dealt with “mass cancellations.” It will be difficult to reassure travelers, even as Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated that the French should expect “more attacks” and “more innocents killed.”
On July 21, the state of emergency, decreed in France after November 13, has also been extended until the end of January.
French tourism accounts for 7% of GDP in the country and provides jobs to 2 million people.