Tourist overnight stays rise in France

On September 29, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) presented the results of the summer tourist season, which ran from May to August 2026. Collective tourism accommodations recorded 260.5 million overnight stays, an increase of 2.8 million, or 1.1 percent, compared to the 2025 season. This total reached its highest level in fifteen years, despite increased competition from private reservations.

Campings lead in overnight stays

Campings remained the most frequently used accommodation type in the summer, with 126.5 million overnight stays, an increase of 1.1 percent, or 1.4 million more than in 2025. Hotels saw a larger increase of 1.7 percent, reaching 92 million overnight stays. Other collective accommodations, however, decreased by 0.4 percent, to 42 million overnight stays.

Residents drive the increase

According to Insee, the resident clientele accounted for the entire increase, with attendance rising by 1.6 percent and representing more than two-thirds of the overnight stays. Campings gained 1.6 million overnight stays by residents, and hotels gained 1.2 million. The attendance of non-residents stagnated throughout the season and even decreased in August compared to the previous year.

Tourist origins show mixed trends

In hotels, the evolutions vary according to the countries of origin. Client groups coming from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom increased by 1.2 percent to 3.9 percent. Conversely, the attendance from Spain and Italy decreased by 8.5 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The United States remain the leading non-resident origin for hotels, with 5.4 million overnight stays, an increase of 0.8 percent.

Coastal areas see growth

The coast remains a driver of summer attendance, with 106.3 million overnight stays, an increase of 1.4 percent. The increase mainly came from the north and west. The Manche Est-Mer du Nord and Nord Atlantique-Manche Ouest coasts gained respectively 5.6 percent and 5 percent. Together, they contributed 1.8 million overnight stays, more than half of the total increase.

Mountain and rural areas grow

In the mountains, attendance increased by 1.3 percent, to 45 million overnight stays. This increase is mainly due to other collective accommodations, which increased by 2.4 percent. Outside of the coast and mountains, growth is limited to 0.6 percent. The contrast is clear between cities and the countryside.

Urban areas lose ground

Dense urban areas lost 3.9 percent, or 2.5 million overnight stays. The resident clientele decreased by 0.7 percent, and the non-resident clientele by 7.7 percent. According to Insee, the attendance of major cities may have been affected by heatwave episodes. The institute presents this explanation as a hypothesis.

Rural areas see strong growth

Conversely, rural areas increased strongly, by 3.2 percent, or 3.7 million additional overnight stays. Campings account for more than two-thirds of the overnight stays in these areas. Medium-density urban areas gained 2.1 percent.