How Covid-19 contaminated French tourism

FRANCE IN FOCUS
FRANCE IN FOCUS © France 24

Just like the rest of the world, France is facing one of the side-effects of the Covid-19 crisis – namely a massive drop in tourism. The setback has dashed the French government’s pre-pandemic hopes of seeing foreign visitors reach the 100 million mark for the first time in 2020 — a challenge the country had seemed so close to attaining.

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With the current restrictions on foreign travel and widespread preference for domestic trips, it seems that the whole of France is looking to the past to adapt its style of holiday-making. So having decided on an alternative mode of transportation, and adapted to a new style of accommodation, the "million sestertii question" becomes where to go? Each hoping to be the answer and make up for lost business, France’s 13 mainland regions have pulled out all the stops to attract as many new visitors as possible. From massive advertising campaigns, to gifting holiday money, here’s more on the country's "vacation wars".

This report is by Nadia Charbit, Stéphanie Cheval, Sonia Baritello and Joanna Cockerell.

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