Paris has long accustomed itself to record tourist numbers.
but in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the French capital received some 33.1 million fewer tourists than the previous year.
Like all destinations, it suffered from an unprecedented "collapse" in demand and "the widespread introduction of travel restrictions," said the report of the Regional Tourism Committee published on Monday.
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Paris and Île-de-France welcomed some 17.5 million tourists in 2020, including 12.6 million French, a sign of an “unprecedented deterioration in tourist activity”.
These visitors generated 6.4 billion euros in tourism revenue.
Unsurprisingly, the drop "is more marked for international customers with -78% of stays" against "-56% for French customers", or 15.7 million fewer tourists from France compared to 2019.
"After a promising start to the year despite the onset of the health crisis in Asia and the continuation of social movements in France, tourist activity stopped from mid-March", with the start of the first confinement, according to the CRT.
Then "a certain recovery was noted" at the end of these restrictions, "from May 11" and until the second confinement at the end of October.
A respite between July and October 2020
“Tourism in Paris Île-de-France was thus able to benefit from a period of respite, particularly between July and October with an activity mainly driven by Ile-de-France residents, the French and a few local customers - Germany, United Kingdom, -Bas, Belgium, Italy - ”, observes the CRT.
Very tried, the hotel industry has "suffered the full brunt of the absence of business and international customers" and a number of establishments closed from mid-March to the end of May, then from the end of October.
This resulted in a 68% drop in hotel nights in 2020, compared to -55% for seasonal rentals, compared to 2019.
The hotels in the capital have particularly suffered from the absence of international customers, "70% of their turnover being generated by it", especially in high-end establishments, recalls the CRT, while the frequentation of museums and monuments suffered greatly from “140 days of exceptional closure”.
The Louvre museum and the Versailles estate have thus seen their attendance plummet by 72% and 76% respectively.
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As for business tourism in Paris Île-de-France, which "can represent up to half of hotel nights" per year, it has suffered greatly with the cascading cancellation of trade fairs and professional events, but remains a " powerful lever ”for the recovery.
