The headline of a local French paper proclaimed the positive news this week, according to a CNN reporter who was embedded in France: “The Americans Have Returned!”
Are they even.
American tourists, who are in full “Revenge Travel” mode following a period of basically being in the sand for the past two years because of COVID-19’s myriad of rules and regulations, are flooding France with money for tourism up to the point where even the typically aloof French are open to welcoming Americans with warm arms.
It’s true.
American tourism is helping to save France. It’s not just about the typical tourist destinations such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower or the high-end fashions of Paris. There’s wine country, beaches, and much more. It’s also especially welcomed and well-loved by the French because of the absence of extravagant, free-spirited Russian tourists, who have been prevented from visiting because of sanctions imposed by several countries due to Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Tourism numbers in France are about in the year 2019 at pre-pandemic levels.
“The Americans are doing the job well,” Frederic Hocquard, Paris deputy mayor for tourism, spoke to CNN. “Meaning that they’re returning to Paris in masse and with plenty amount of cash available.”
Based on CNN, American tourists spend, on average, 402 dollars per day in France, and the majority spend more than $750 in the course of a typical ten days. This is a significant amount of money.
