FRANCE has retained its title as the world’s top tourist destination in 2013, drawing nearly 85 million visitors despite a lacklustre economic situation, as Chinese interest intensified and North Americans surged back to the country.
With its Mediterranean beaches and skiable mountain ranges, rich architectural heritage and tourist attractions ranging from Versailles to Euro Disney, France grew even more popular last year, welcoming two per cent more visitors than in 2012, a statement said.France was followed by the US, which drew 69.8 million visitors, and Spain, with 60.7 million. Bank of France data suggested that if France’s tourists established their own country, it would be Europe’s most populous by a margin of several million. Tourism figures show that the number of Chinese visiting France had shot up by 23.4 per cent, and tourists from India by 15.7 per cent for a total 4.5 million from Asia.Tourists chose to spend a total of nearly 600 million nights in France last year, an increase of 4.6 per cent compared to 2012. The average duration of their stays - 7.1 days - was 2.5 per cent longer than the previous year. Government estimates put the contribution of tourism at around 6.5 per cent of GDP.Visitors from North America, whose numbers fell dramatically during the global financial crisis, continued to flock back, showing 5.8 per cent growth over the year, to 4.2 million.The increase from North America and emerging markets offset a slight drop-off in visits from Spain, Brazil and Japan, which the Bank of France explained in a statement as a consequence of economic troubles in those countries.Meanwhile, rumours are rife that Chinese tourism giant Jin Jiang has inked a deal with Starwood to buy a chain of French budget hotels. The value of the agreement over Starwood’s French subsidiary Louvre Hotels Group was not disclosed but it is believed to be worth between $1.5 and $1.8 billion. Louvre Hotels Group owns some 1,200 hotels, including around 820 hotels in France under brands such as Campanile, Kyriad and Golden Tulip. The deal is expected to be concluded in the first three months of 2015. TOP TOURISM FOOTFALL: