France reveals overtourism plan to manage travellers during summer season

There are plans to reduce visitor numbers and combat crowding at popular spots. Photo / Getty Images

If you’re travelling to France this European summer, the government has some advice for you: don’t.

That is, if you’re only planning to visit famous attractions and spend as little money as possible.

France’s tourism minister has announced plans to reduce visitor numbers and combat crowding at certain spots around the country.

The strategy will reportedly involve a campaign to encourage travellers to reconsider their itinerary and swap popular attractions for lesser-known destinations.

During the height of the pandemic, countries battling over-tourism experienced an abrupt break from visitors. However, as the industry recovers, certain destinations (particularly in Europe) have been warned to expect a swift return to pre-pandemic crowds.

By 2022, France’s tourism industry had officially recovered from the pandemic. Now, the country is concerned about “overtourism”, said tourism minister Olivia Gregoire, which threatens “the environment, the quality of life for locals, and the experiences for its visitors”.

A high number of tourists may not be an issue if it wasn’t for how much they travel around the country and how much they spend which, according to the government, is very little on both accounts.

In France, 80 per cent of tourists visit just 20 per cent of the country, as people flock to iconic attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the French Riviera.

Once there, they aren’t spending up big either, France24 reported, leaving local businesses to endure the congestion and crowds without an equivalent benefit.

The government is yet to reveal a complete plan for managing the flow of tourists around the country.

However, the first step will be gathering much-needed information on the tourism industry.

“France is the world’s main tourist destination, but we have a serious lack of data,” Gregoire told the Figaro daily.

A dedicated group will be established to monitor the tourism industry and identify spots that are at risk of over-tourism.

One such place will likely be Etreat, a beachside town in Normandy that has 1200 residents but, thanks to its feature on the famous Netflix show Lupin, up to 10,000 visitors a day during summer, France24 reported.