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French tourism minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said the 50 million foreign visitors, mostly Europeans, are expected in France this summer, while international tourists from further afield will remain largely absent due to the strict travel restrictions in place. to curb the spread. of Covid-19.
In an interview with the weekly The Sunday Newspaper, Lemoyne said France is expected to receive 50 million foreign tourists compared to 35 million last year and 90 million in 2019.
He said that while tourists from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands are present, there are fewer British tourists due to the strict restrictions put in place by their government on their return.
He said international customers outside of Europe are still largely lacking.
“A few Americans have been coming back since June, but we will not see Asian tourists again before 2022. And Paris still suffers from a lack of business tourism,” he added.
Lemoyne pointed out that many French people are likely to spend their holidays in France. He added that with the arrival of the fourth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic in the world, many French people are choosing to rediscover the territories of their country.
“In 2020, 94% of French people who went on vacation chose France. This year, the figure is already 80% and will probably be around 85%.”
Last June, Members of the European Parliament approved a new travel certificate that will allow people to move between EU states without facing additional quarantine or coronavirus testing, paving the way for the start of the passes in time for the summer.
Passes must be issued by individual nations, not by a centralized European system. They will contain a QR code with advanced security features. Personal data will not be shared with other countries.
(with AFP)
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