January 23, 2025 | 01:48 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - France, the Olympic host last year, has retained its status as the world's top tourist destination, drawing in a record-breaking 100 million visitors in 2024.
According to the French Ministry of Tourism, post-pandemic recovery keeps international visitors at a stable figure, with global travel surging to pre-pandemic levels, recording over 1.4 billion people traveling overseas.
France welcomed 2 million more visitors than the previous year, a growth attributable to a number of factors, including the summer Olympics it hosted.
Spain is catching up
Despite recording more visitors than Spain’s 94 million last year, France’s revenue from international visits fell short; France earned 71 billion euros, or Rp1,201 trillion, in tourism revenue last year, while Spain raked in 126 billion euros, or Rp2,132 trillion in total.
The French tourism ministry said it needs to boost visitors’ spending and encourage longer stays to compete more effectively against Spain.
Spain’s tourism growth—which was up 10 percent from 2023—is driven by strong performance in popular destinations such as Madrid, Barcelona, and coastal regions, as well as an influx of travelers seeking cultural experiences, historic places, and vibrant beaches.
One of the key factors contributing to Spain's tourism success is its ability to attract big-spending foreigners. In contrast to France, which experienced a slight decline in visitor spending, Spain's booming tourism economy benefited from an increase in visitor numbers and higher per capita spending.
In particular, tourists from the United States, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom made a significant contribution to Spain's tourism revenue.
Decline in Asian tourists
Both France and Spain noted a surge in American tourists, which the French tourism ministry referred to as “a key clientele,” with a strong purchasing power. But France was still struggling to regain pre-pandemic visitors from Asia, especially China and Japan.
Chinese visitors in France are reportedly 60 percent lower than before the pandemic, and Japanese visitor numbers are down by 30 percent. The drop in visitor figures marks the persisting shift in global travel patterns post-pandemic.
TRAVEL AND TOUR WORLD | FRANCE 24
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