Tourist numbers in France rebounded in the last quarter of 2016, exceeding the number of visitors in the autumn of 2014, before the terror attacks of 2015 and 2016.
Nights spent in hotels and at camping grounds increased by 3.9 percent during this period compared to the final three months of 2015, according to Insee, the French statistical office.
The second and third quarters of the year had shown a decline in numbers compared to 2015. Domestic tourist figures were particularly strong in the last quarter of the year, showing an increase of 4.3 percent, compared to foreign visitors, up by 2.9 percent on the same months of 2015.
December was particularly strong, despite a shortage of snow on the ski slopes, Insee said. One figure that leaps out of the Insee report is the strong increase in the number of stays in four- and five-star hotels, up by 9.9 percent, an increase ascribed mainly to domestic tourists. Another discernible trend is the popularity of the provinces relative to Paris, where tourist growth has been much more muted.
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