FRANCE: Despite Paris Attacks,Tourism To France Rose In 2015

The overall number of tourists visiting France in 2015 rose marginally compared with the year before to reach an all-time high despite the two deadly attacks in Paris in January and November.

Government figures released on Friday show that 84.5 million tourists visited continental France, an increase of 0.9 % from 2014. The press office for France's ministry of foreign affairs said the latest figure "was an absolute record." The November 13 attacks in which 130 people died had a negative impact, with a drop of 15 % in the numbers of foreign visitors travelling to Paris in the months of November and December.

Before that massacre, two shooters had stormed the office of a satirical newspaper in January, killing a dozen people. After a 1.8 % increase over the first three quarters, there was a 3.1 % drop at national level in the last quarter.

"The attacks that hit Paris in November have restricted this increase, particularly in the capital," French foreign affairs minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said. "My goal remains to welcome 100 million foreign tourists every year in France from 2020."

Paris tourism took a hit in the weeks following the violence. State statistics agency Insee said earlier this year that hotel occupancy in the French capital dropped by 25 % in the two weeks that followed the attacks, compared with November 2014.

Air France estimated the attacks caused US $130 million in lost revenue. But French authorities note that the country remains the world's leading tourist destination, with hotel stays going up 0.8 % across France in 2015.

According to the latest figures, the largest increase was among tourists coming from Asia, whose numbers grew by 22.7 %, with Chinese visitors surpassing 2 million. The number of American tourists also increased considerably, by 15.2 % to 3.6 million in 2015, "marking a return of these customers to France," officials said in a statement. There was a 1.5 % drop in European visitors although the number of British tourists crossing the Channel went up 3.3 %.