Government unveils plan against overtourism

How to better regulate tourism? The government unveiled its plan on Sunday June 18 to deal with the peaks in attendance which overwhelm areas in France at certain times of the year. To help players in the sector, a digital platform will be launched in the first half of 2024, as well as a national observatory of major tourist sites.

“France is the first tourist destination in the world, but we are sorely lacking in data”said Olivia Grégoire, the Minister Delegate for Tourism in an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro. The new structure therefore aims to “create an information base and shared indicators that will facilitate the work of analyzing flows.”

A campaign with influencers

A practical guide will also be drafted by the end of 2023 by a working group made up in particular of researchers and professional federations to define the concepts of “overtourism”, “overcrowding” and “peak attendance”. A communication campaign “with influencers” will also raise customer awareness of the issues.

According to the World Tourism Organization, 95% of world tourists visit less than 5% of land, including France. In France, 80% of activity in this area is concentrated in 20% of our territory, according to the government.

The consequences are multiple, such as the rise in the price of real estate in the areas concerned and the harmful impacts on the environment. The “rejection” of tourists by local populations, or even opposition to tourist infrastructure projects, are other major effects.