France, renowned for its rich cultural heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and world-famous landmarks, has long been a top tourist destination. However, the increasing number of visitors in recent years has led to growing concerns on overtourism, particularly in major cities and popular tourist hotspots. In response to this challenge, France has devised a new strategy to combat overtourism.
On June 18, Tourism Minister Olivia Gregoire presented a plan to regulate visitor flows at popular sites and address the negative impacts associated with overtourism. The strategy involves creating a national observatory for major tourist sites, measuring the suitability of visitor flows among locals, and raising awareness among tourists and influencers.
It’s up to the government, working hand in hand with regional officials and tourist sites, to implement measures for informing tourists and locals, and to help manage the crowds.
Olivia Gregoire, Tourism Minister of France
As the world’s leading tourist destination, France faces the pressing need to better manage the influx of visitors during peak seasons. This influx poses threats to the environment, the quality of life for local residents, and the overall visitor experience. The urgency to address overtourism is evident worldwide, as international travel rebounds following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many iconic French attractions, including the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey in Normandy, have reported beimg overwhelmed by the sheer number of tourists. Etretat only has 1,200 residents, but its famous Channel beach, made popular by the Netflix series “Lupin“, sees up to 10,000 tourists daily during the high season, causing concerns about erosion and the preservation of natural landmarks.
This massive influx ends up trampling and eroding the cliffs and endangers the beach cliffs.
Shai Mallet, co-head of the Etretat Tomorrow residents’ association
Indeed, one crucial aspect of the new French strategy to tackle overtourism is setting limits on visitor numbers at popular sites. For example, day visits to the picturesque island of Brehat in Brittany will be capped at 4,700 during peak summer months. In addition, the Calanques national park, near Marseille, will maintain a free reservation system for visiting the Sugiton coves, ensuring better control over visitor numbers by only allowing 400 people daily, compared with the up to 2,500 vistors pre-pandemic.
“There is no miracle solution for every region but once you know who is coming at what times, you can have local marketing strategies — like not advertising during the high season — or pricing strategies that encourage people nearby to come in the off-season,” said Simon Thirot of the Eurogroup Consulting advisory group.
Efforts will be made to gather more data to identify at-risk sites and craft effective strategies for managing tourist flows. “France is the world’s main tourist destination, but we have a serious lack of data”, stated Gregoire. To combat this deficiency, the government plans to establish an industry monitoring group that will work with regional officials and tourist sites to develop informed measures and inform both tourists and locals.
Social media influencers will also be enlisted to raise awareness on the risks associated with overtourism, encouraging visitors to explore off-the-beaten-path destinations or travel during less crowded periods. France recognizes that 80 percent of its annual tourism activity is concentrated in only 20 percent of the country. The newly announced strategy focuses on promoting lesser-known regions and attractions to encourage tourists to discover other parts of France beyond the popular French Riviera, southwestern coast, and Biarritz.
These days we’re seeing more cruises on the canals of Burgundy or Dordogne, wine tourism in the Loire, or more visitors at the Beauval zoo combined with visits at the Loire valley castles.
Didier Chenet, head of the GHR hotel and restaurant association.
To cope with the costs of hosting large numbers of tourists, communities may consider implementing higher lodging taxes or access fees. This revenue could be utilized to support the preservation of fragile areas and biodiversity, which have been significantly impacted by tourism. “We have to protect fragile areas, we’ve lost 30 percent of our biodiversity in 25 years”, warned Didier Arino, head of the Protourisme advisory group.
By implementing these measures and encouraging sustainable tourism practices, France aims to strike a balance between preserving its cultural and natural treasures and providing a high-quality experience for visitors and locals. Through careful management of visitor flows, diversification of destinations, and the involvement of local communities, France’s strategy against overtourism sets an example for other prime tourist destinations around the world.
