Last year, the country was visited by 102 million foreign tourists.
Despite the economic upturn, the increase in arrivals is putting more pressure on the most popular tourist areas of the country.
France remains the most visited country in the world, having broken its own national record for the number of tourists.
According to official data, the country was visited by 102 million people in 2025.
In 2024, thanks to the Olympic Games in Paris, France welcomed 100 million visitors for the first time.
Despite the economic impact, the growth in tourist flow has intensified the burden on the main tourist spots in the country.
Last year, France was visited by 102 million foreign tourists, who spent a total of 743 million nights in the country, the Ministry of Economy reported on Thursday. Two-thirds (76%) of foreign vacationers came from Europe.
The number of nights spent in hotels and other types of commercial accommodation increased by 7.5% compared to 2024.
This influx of guests brought a record tourism revenue of 77.5 billion euros — 9% more than in 2024 and 37% more than in 2019.
During the announcement of this data, officials confirmed France's goal to increase annual tourism revenue to 100 billion euros by 2030 and to become one of the world leaders in sustainable tourism.
While France maintains its title as the most visited country in the world, Spain has closely approached it, welcoming 96.8 million foreign tourists.
In terms of tourism revenue, Spain also surpassed France, earning 105 billion euros in 2025.
Is France's Tourism Strategy Failing?
In recent years, France has consistently topped the rankings of the most visited destinations, while facing noticeably fewer problems with overtourism.
In Spain, however, protests have erupted across the country: participants complain about economic difficulties, gentrification, and inappropriate behavior from tourists, which they believe is linked to the overwhelming number of arrivals.
France's success in curbing overtourism is attributed to a well-thought-out strategy initiated several years ago, as well as its regional and seasonal diversity.
However, even these carefully constructed plans seem to be starting to falter.
Residents of Montmartre, one of the most popular tourist districts in Paris, protested last summer against what they call the "Disneyfication" of the once-bohemian corner of the city.
The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur now attracts up to 11 million people a year — even more than the Eiffel Tower — and the everyday life of the area is becoming subordinate to the flow of tuk-tuks, tour groups, queues for photos, and short-term rental housing.
In 2023, France's Minister of Tourism Olivia Grégoire stated that urgent measures are needed at the national level to regulate tourist flows at overloaded sites, such as the tidal island of Mont-Saint-Michel.
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