Tourism figures see slight upturn

THE French tourist trade enjoyed a bit of a rebound in 2005 after the poor performance of the previous two years.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism there was a 2% increase in the number of nights people spent in hotels.

And the Ministry’s research also stressed the importance of the sector to France, noting that 200,000 businesses were connected to tourism and that around a million people worked in the industry.

Paris and Ile de France region enjoyed an improvement in the number of people staying in hotels, as well as Corsica and the Côte d’Azur.

The growing appeal of holidays in the countryside also came out in the report with a notable increase in the number of jobs offered, although they are seasonal.

Looking toward 2006 the Tourism Minister Léon Bertrand, pictured, believes the impact of rising oil prices may have a detrimental impact, but growth in the UK, the US and Japan will hopefully see more visitors from these countries.

And in forthcoming years Chinese tourists are also set to play an increasingly important role, especially in Paris and on the Mediterranean coast.