history of tourism in france

Why is France the world’s leading tourist destination?

Tourism with a capital “t” was invented by the british in the 18th century with the “grand tour”. a traditional trip to europe undertaken mainly by the aristocratic elite, which is also the origin of the english word “tourist”. tourist activities were mainly reserved for a handful of the population until the 19th century. the advent of the railroad precipitated the development of tourism, and france knew how to play its assets., the beginnings of tourism in france..

Tourism in the modern sense of the term developed in the 19th century, notably with the creation of the first travel agency by Thomas Cook. From then on, France was the favorite destination of the first English tourists who travelled in large numbers to the “ French Riviera “.

 The beginnings of tourism in France through the seaside

In 1841, Thomas Cook created the first travel agency. 15 years later, he organized for British tourists the first tourist circuit through Europe. The British use the term “French riviera”, “riviera” which means in Italian “a region characterized by the rough contact of the sea and the mountains”. 

Since 1830, the city of Hyères has become a tourist destination and a renowned winter health resort for thermal cures. It was frequented in particular by the English who left an architectural imprint that is still visible today. Nice is also very popular, with its famous Promenade des Anglais, which owes its name to the fact that the English make Nice their favorite winter resort.

If France is so popular for seaside tourism, it is because of its geography. Indeed, from Bray-Dunes (Franco-Belgian border), through Hendaye (Franco-Spanish border) and up to Menton (Franco-Italian border), 923 communes share the 5,533 kms of metropolitan coastline: 3,830 kms along the Channel and the Atlantic and 1,703 kms on the shores of the Mediterranean.

The development of the railroad in the 1850’s allowed the service of seaside resorts and spas. Tourism became more democratic in France during the 20th century. The paid vacations in 1936 are the first steps of mass tourism.

Major changes in French tourism

The 20th century brought many changes in tourism and the first of these upheavals were the first paid vacations in 1936, a social reform of the Popular Front led by Léon Blum. For the first time, the employees have 15 days of paid vacations: the summer holidays had just been created. These are the first crowds, the first souvenir photos, the first reports on the beaches… 

The under-secretary of state for the organization of leisure activities, Léo Lagrange, sets up with the railway companies the popular annual vacation ticket called “Lagrange ticket”. It will allow a large number of the population to travel. With the end of the Second World War, 2 million Parisians travelled in 1947, 3 million in 1948, 4 in 1949 and 5 in 1951.

The increase in purchasing power, the multiplication of cars and the development of social tourism are at the dawn of mass tourism. The French created a vacation culture, adopting the codes and practices of tourism: having a good time!

In 1950, the first Club Méditerranée village opened in Alcúdia, a small fishing hamlet in the Balearic Islands. It was inaugurated at the heart of the second phase in the evolution of tourism: consumerism and the demand for dream vacations. 

< Sur la plage, 1959. ROBERT DOISNEAU / GAMMA-RAPHO – France Info Culture

Tourism has changed a lot since the 1950s. The demand for travel being strong, the tourist industry proposes an increasingly abundant offer and invests in increasingly large hotel complexes to accommodate more and more tourists at the expense of the environment. Today, professionals are proposing other ways to travel. There is more and more talk of solidarity or fair tourism, of respect for the environment and the populations. The development of e-tourism since 1998 with the development of the Internet has contributed to the evolution of consumer behavior by making them more and more competent in their research, and therefore more and more informed.

France’s tourist assets

France, because of its geographical diversity, its history and its culture, has been the world’s leading tourist destination for years.

France, at the crossroads of Europe

Due to its geographical position, France occupies a crossroads in the heart of Europe, it is a territory of passage to go from north to south of Europe. It is at the heart of the European tourist market and is the entry point to Europe for European stays for international tourists. Today, France is the most visited country in the world with over 89 million international tourist arrivals in 2018. It ranks third in the world in terms of revenue behind Spain and the United States of America with 55.5 million euros in 2018 ( Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery ). If France manages to stay so high in the world ranking, it is thanks to the eclecticism of its tourism proposal.

The richness of our cultural and natural heritage

France manages to keep the first place thanks to its diversity of geographical landscapes: sea, mountains, countryside, big cities… It has everything to please and can therefore offer all forms of tourism. This also explains the fact that many French people choose their country for their vacations. 

For some years now, other forms of tourism have been developing, such as industrial tourism: 

• Food, wine and spirits (60%)
• Arts and crafts (18%)
• The environment and energy (10%)
• The fashion and cosmetics sector (7%)
• Technological industries (5%)

This tourism allows a diversification of the offer of a territory and the creation of a new tourist sector in the field of leisure tourism and for business tourism, a great potential still little exploited. Through industrial tourism, we can find what has made France’s reputation: the richness of our oenogastronomic heritage, as well as our know-how in arts and crafts (especially in the luxury sector).

France also has a rich architectural heritage. Because of the richness and diversity of its heritage, 45 sites are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site s (39 cultural properties, 5 natural properties and 1 mixed property). This makes France the 4th country with the most UNESCO listed sites (2019 source).

Paris attracts a lot of foreign tourists: more than 30 million per year! The city makes you dream, the architecture, the museums, the Eiffel Tower, without forgetting Disneyland Paris, all these places make Paris a major destination for European tourists. 

By its diversity, we can say that each French department is a tourist department with its gastronomic and cultural specialities, its natural beauties, its history. France is a country with many faces. It appeals to all audiences, all ages, which probably explains why France is the world’s leading tourist destination. Which destination to choose? Some regions have a strong “personality” because of their history, their geography, their language like Brittany, the Basque Country, Corsica, etc. Other regions are known for their natural beauty like the Luberon , an excellent idea for a Whitsun destination!

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Tourism in France

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Tourism is a major part of the French economy, representing close to 8% of GDP and 2 million direct and indirect jobs. It is also a recognized soft power asset abroad, and F rance has been the world’s leading tourist destination for years. A record 90 million international tourists visited France in 2019, including its overseas communities.

A sector affected by COVID-19

In 2020, the sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 public health crisis, leading international tourist revenue to drop by almost half in the first seven months of the year .

Globally, Europe is the second hardest-hit region, behind the Asia-Pacific, seeing a drop in visits of 66% in the first half of the year. The drop in French and foreign tourist spending in France over 2020 is estimated at between 30% and 35%. However, France does appear to be resisting better than its European neighbours , thanks to its solid domestic market.

France’s support to the sector

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs promotes and supports the tourism sector through innovative measures suited to the industry’s needs . This cooperative approach led to the creation of the Tourism Sector Committee (CFT) in January 2020, chaired by the Minister of State, Mr Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.

Its aim is to jointly design effective tourism policies, working on four themes: jobs and training , sustainable development , digitalization , and regulations and competitiveness .

The work carried out at the CFT should lead to the signing of a tourism sector contract to provide effective responses suited to the industry’s needs.

A concerted response to the crisis

The CFT has been particularly useful and effective in addressing the concertation and emergency needs caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Since the beginning of the public health crisis, the committee has met almost weekly.

Its work has helped analyse the challenges and priority needs of the sector in order to seek appropriate solutions. It has helped highlight how numerous and diverse tourism-dependent businesses are , each with its own issues.

Various tools and measures have been established during the crisis:

• A monthly Atout France/Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau barometer;
• Webinars, benchmarks, surveys and studies by Atout France;
• The “This summer I’m visiting France” campaign from June to September 2020 in order to promote domestic tourism;
• An interactive map of tourism venues and services, carried out with ADN Tourisme, to provide information to more than 10 million people on social media. This initiative contributed actively to promoting stays in France among tourists from both France and neighbouring countries.

The measures adopted to safeguard the tourism sector during the public health crisis

Alongside the CFT’s work since the beginning of the crisis, the Minister of State has also met with institutional and private stakeholders from each French region in order to best adapt the Government’s support to the sector.

Tourism companies have enjoyed all the emergency measures adopted by the Government in response to the pandemic’s economic consequences:

• Support for jobs, through the partial employment measure, which the sector has used widely;
• Support for companies’ cash flow through the Government-guaranteed loan (PGE) and the solidarity fund, open until the end of 2020, as well as certain social contribution exemptions;
• Cancellation of instalments of rent and fees for use of public land for SMEs, particularly during administrative closure.

The Government has also announced the creation of a “season PGE”, capped at the turnover of the best three months of 2019, and the postponement of bank repayment instalments over 12 months.

These discussions also contributed to drafting a specific Government plan for the sector’s recovery , totalling €18 billion. The specific recovery plan was announced by the Prime Minister on 14 May 2020, during the fifth meeting of the Interministerial Tourism Committee (CIT). It includes the creation of an investment fund of €1.3 billion managed by the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and Bpifrance in order to foster the emergence of more sustainable tourism, more digital and better distributed across the country. The France Tourisme Ingénierie programme, managed by Atout France, has also been granted increased capacity of €29 million in order to support local authorities and private stakeholders wishing to improve the tourism offering.

Moreover, the recovery plan presented by the Government in early September 2020 includes the c reation of a sustainable tourism fund with €50 million to foster the adaptation of tourism activities. Restaurants and tourist accommodation providers will receive financial support (grants) in order to cover the costs of investments for the transition and development of sustainable tourism projects. The French Agency for the Ecological Transition (ADEME) will be the leader for the deployment of this fund, in close liaison with local government in order to address specific needs.

The plan has since been strengthened, particularly as regards the implementation of support measures for the sector such as widening the list of companies eligible under the tourism plan, extending 100% coverage of payroll costs under partial employment, enhancement of the solidarity fund and expansion of the scope of the “season PGE” programme, in constant dialogue with industry stakeholders.

Download the press kit from the Interministerial Tourism Committee (CIT) meeting of 12 October 2020 (in French)

• Atout France • Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) • Bpifrance • French Agency for the Ecological Transition (ADEME)

Updated: October 2020

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• Covid pass ? These are not required for entry into France. However in the event of a resurgence, the rules may change. ► CLICK HERE for full details about when a covid pass is needed, and how to obtain one. This can be easily done online, as long as you satisfy the criteria. There is no charge.

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Mondes du Tourisme

Accueil Numéros 12 Recherche – Varia The impact of the “economy of his...

The impact of the “economy of history”: The example of battlefield tourism in France

The “economy of history” in France, or history as a motor for French economic activity, is of great importance to those areas of the country most affected by the First and Second World Wars. The attraction of France to tourists is a well-known, and quantifiable, phenomenon, yet the impact of battlefield tourists on both the local and national economies has remained hitherto unknown.

Battlefield tourism attracts enthusiasts both from within France’s borders, as well as those journeying from further afield. This study seeks to show the relative importance of this niche market for those French villages that have been the most heavily touched by these historical events, making use of both official statistics as well as those published by the centres themselves, most notably the Historial de la Grande Guerre at Péronne and the Visitor Centre at Thiepval. However, the economic consequences are not simply felt within France, but also cross international borders along with those undertaking the journey, illustrated by the case study of Leger Holidays.

L’économie de l’histoire définit l’histoire comme moteur de l’activité économique. Elle est d’une importance majeure dans les régions de la France les plus impactées par la première et la seconde guerre mondiales. L’attraction des touristes pour les champs de bataille est un phénomène bien connu et quantifiable, mais leur impact économique est peu abordé.

Le tourisme des champs de bataille attire l’enthousiasme des touristes de France aussi bien que de ceux venant d’en dehors de ses frontières. Cette étude cherche à montrer l’importance relative de ce marché de niche, en utilisant les statistiques officielles gouvernementales ainsi que des données privées, comme celles trouvées pour l’Historial de la Grande Guerre à Péronne et le Centre de visite à Thiepval. Or les conséquences économiques se font sentir au-delà de la France ; elles traversent les pays avec ces touristes, comme le montre l’étude de Leger Holidays.

Entrées d’index

Mots-clés : , keywords: , texte intégral.

“Le tourisme, c’est un trésor national”

Laurent Fabius, former French Foreign Minister, BFMTV, 11 June 2015

1 The “economy of history” can be defined as history and historical monuments as a motor for economic activity, most specifically in the tourism industry. Tourism continues to hold particular interest for French public policymakers, and given the geostrategic importance of France during two world wars, battlefield tourism provides the visitor with either a destination in its own right, or a stop on a longer itinerary. Battlefield tourism has helped to provide both visitors and jobs to areas in the northern industrial heartland of France by encouraging visitors towards less traditionally frequented areas. In recent years, more visitor centres and memorials have opened across the world, including in France, than during the whole of the twentieth century (Dunkey, Morgan and Westwood, 2011, p. 860). This study will show that battlefield tourism produces tangible results which reflect positively on the French tourism industry more generally. In this centenary year of the commemoration of the Battle of Verdun, it is important to take stock of the options available to policymakers.

2 Tourism has already begun to attract research from a range of academic disciplines, as shown by Iles’s research (2008) into sociological aspects that motivate travellers to visit battlefields, Larique’s historical investigations (2006) and Holgun’s work (2005) on the commercial ventures in this niche market. Equally, Gondras (2012) has proven that some of the most authoritative texts on the market for historical tourism are written by the professionals themselves. However, a multitude of aspects remain to be covered, including links between battlefield tourism and other forms of historical tourism.

3 This paper seeks to show the impact of battlefield tourism in France. Initially, the “economy of history” must be defined before it is possible to explain the effects that it has engendered in parts of rural France. Secondly, it is necessary to know the context into which the modern French tourist industry fits as well as the role played by stakeholders in the “economy of history”. The networks formed between local professionals and the regional tourist offices are of interest in that they help to improve the visibility of these sites whilst at the same time encouraging local entrepreneurship. Finally, the impact of this industry can be discussed. It then becomes possible to analyse the effectiveness of select sites in attracting both domestic and international tourists. The paper will explore the economic outcomes that emanate from encouraging such acts of remembrance and commemoration, the most notable of these being the activity of Leger Holidays, a British company that offers escorted coach trips to battlefield sites. This will demonstrate how battlefield tourism generates revenues for companies both inside and outside French borders. Conclusions will then be drawn as to the importance of the “economy of history” in France.

The “economy of history”

4 History, and its transmission, has never ceased to captivate the imagination of man. The need to connect with one’s roots is deeply ingrained within each of us. However, the manner in which this interest is expressed may take many diverse and differing forms. It is for this reason that certain people will support a particular football team, following their previous generations to the same terraces. Others may adopt certain familial customs and traditions, in order to keep the link to their past alive and vibrant.

• 1 Trajectoires des aires et stations touristiques : dynamiques d’innovation, mises en tension et enje (...)

5 It is with this in mind that the ultimate variable , to which we are all subject , should be introduced – emotions. However, the attempt to measure the influence of emotions upon economic actions can prove to be problematic. The development of economic theory since the eighteenth c entury has often disregarded this variable in favour of an attitude more fitting to the rational perfection of homo economicus , for it is difficult to quantify the consequences of such an unquantifiable and changeable variant. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the interdisciplinary perspective offered by the social sciences can help shed light on such a phenomenon, as was highlighted by recent academic conferences , including TRAST . 1

6 The emotional responses of tourists have been provided with an ideal outlet in the form of a market based upon battlefield tourism. The visitors, as consumers, have made the conscious choice to use their limited resources in order to spend their holiday visiting battlefields. These are sites that have experienced great trauma and suffering yet, according to D. Lloyd (Lloyd, 1998), people choose to follow a physical or literary guide in the search of further knowledge, understanding and spirituality. Due to the development of facilities that cater to this market, quantitative analysis of the revenues received by the visitor centres becomes possible, and therefore interpretations can be made as to the economic impact and consequences of the “economy of history”.

7 There are three constituent parts to this motor of economic activity in France. The first constituent, as investigated in this paper, is battlefield tourism. In France, this phenomenon is historically centred on the northern frontier with Belgium, and stretches along the First World War frontline. This is not to suggest that only these battlefields attract tourists; one can point to Alesia in the Côte d’Or, the site of Caesar’s victory against the Gauls in 52 BC, or Agincourt and Crecy during the Hundred Years’ War. In the modern era, sites such as the Normandy beaches can be considered in this vein, whilst Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne attracts a clientele more befitting Lennon and Foley’s (2000) description of “dark tourism”.

8 The second constituent part consists in the many monuments of France, 43,700 of which are under legislative protection, attracting a great number of tourists each year (Gondras, 2012, p. 48). These can include famous archaeological sites such as the Lascaux caves in the Dordogne as well as the multitude of chateaux found in the French countryside, such as Fontainebleau and Versailles. In addition, aristocratic residences are being converted into luxury hotels, spas and hunting venues, Château de la Verrerie in the Cher being an example of the latter. Despite recent works by Gondras (2012), further research is needed in order to provide firmer conclusions as to the true impact of these attractions upon the local and national economy of France.

2 www.batailledecastillon.com (consulted 21/05/2015).

3 http://www.puydufou.com/en/histoire (consulted 23/03/2017).

9 Finally, dating from the 1980s there has been an increased interest in France for historical reconstruction. In towns and villages across the country, including Castillon-la-Bataille 2 in the Gironde, the site of the final battle of the Hundred Years ’ War in 1453, local associations put on shows that attract tourists and locals alike. These reconstructions generally rely upon the benevolence of volunteers to provide their time and acting talents as well as their help in the construction of sets, costumes and production. The success of these shows has been reflected in the fortunes of the Puy du Fou 3 theme park in the Vendée. In 1977, its creators, Philippe de Villiers and Jean Saint-Bris, decided to write a show that focused on the life of the local Maupillier family , which spans six centuries. Historical reconstructions and monuments are, however, to remain objects for further study at this time.

Battlefield tourism and France

• 4 http://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/files/files/directions_services/etudes-et-statistiques/stats-tourism (...)

10 According to governmental statistics, France is, and has been since 1990, the most popular world destination for international tourists. The hospitality and tourist industries represent 7.4% of GDP , 4 resulting in a significant proportion of the population relying upon its continued presence to survive and to thrive in the French economy. Within this, battlefield tourism as a distinct form of touristic activity has a history that encompasses both the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Throughout history, spectators and military observers have followed behind the ranks of combatants in order to observe, report and testify to the horrors of war , most markedly following the invention of photography and long-distance telegraph , which allowed for the rapid transmission of information from reporter to reader. This ha d precedence in France during the 1870 siege of Paris by the Prussian army, whereby English and Americans were solicited through advertisements offering apartments for rent (Horne, 2012 ; E-book loc.   1453, 15%). However, the objectives of these contemporary observers and battlefield tourists remain similar – the search for further knowledge. The scale of the mobili s ation led to greater and more personal connections for the peoples of the warring nations, notably through the loss of a generation of young men. This in turn encouraged the memorialisation movement, best explained in the seminal works of J. Winter (1985), which led to a general call for the installation of monuments , thus creating a form of attraction around which those left behind could channel their grief as well as for those mourning their lost family members, or for those former combatants seeking to remember their comrades.

11 The WWI battlefields of northern France are situated on a major European crossing-point, a frontier that is still heavily traversed each year. With the influxes of tourists, entrepreneurs are gifted opportunities to provide services, and it is from a commercial perspective that this paper shall initially look at battlefield tourism. This form of tourism is of particular importance to the area of the Vallée de la Haute Somme, as can be seen by the six different museums counted in surveys of the area’s tourist activity – all of which use the First World War as their subject.

5 See Annex 2.

12 Using statistics collected by the local tourist offices in the area, and at each of the attractions, a table has been collated to show the number of visits recorded at 7 sites over a period of 17 years from 1998 to 2015 . 5 Figures are partial because certain sites did not exist at the beginning of the period in question, for instance the Visitor Centre at Thiepval. As can be seen in Figure   1, the general trend at four of the attractions has remained relatively unchanged, namely the Historial de la Grande Guerre, the Musée Somme 1916, the P’tit Train de la Haute Somme and the Musée Franco-Australien. Two attractions have managed to surpass the others – the Mémorial Terre-Neuvien de Beaumont Hamel and the Visitor Centre at Thiepval. Both attractions reached peak attendance in 2014, receiving respectively 192,766 and 214,146 visitors. Incidentally, the month of October 2014 was the busiest month for both attractions. This suggests that battlefield tourists travel outside of periods of high touristic influx, possibly to take advantage of cheaper accommodation prices. Furthermore, both attractions experienced large falls in their visitor numbers in 2009, 21.9% at the Memorial Terre-Neuvien and 29.5% at the Visitor Centre at Thiepval. This drop could be explained by difficulties in the tourism sector following the economic downturn worldwide in 2008, which in turn led to fewer international tourists visiting the sites.

6 See Annex 1.

13 Prior to the centenary commemorations in 2014, visitor numbers to the majority of the museums were on a stable trajectory, improving their frequentation year upon year but only very steadily, apart from the Musée et Mé morial Sud - Africain which saw a fall between 2006 and 2007. However, thanks to the commemorations, most sites saw a large increase in their statistics. This improvement seems to be reflected in the numbers of hotel rooms booked in the Somme. Since 2012, following a drop of 2%, a recovery has been underway and 2015 saw the largest number of arrivals in the hotels. With an average of 23.4% of bookings coming from international tourists, clearly the attractions in this region appeal to a foreign clientele . 6

Figure 1. Evolution in visitor numbers at the attractions in Vallée de la Haute Somme 1998–2015

Data compiled from http://www.picardietourisme-acteurs.com/​Vos-outils/​Chiffres-cles-et-etudes/​Bilans-de-frequentation-touristique/​Somme.

The importance of stakeholders to the “economy of history”

14 France’s long history has provided the backdrop upon which an entire industry has been created and exploited. Each battle, every monument and different historical protagonists have provided local communities with a product that can be utili z ed by the various stakeholders. However, not all sites are created equal and certain sites attract more visitors than others, as has been seen. F or a study of the true impact of battlefield tourism on the local economy to hold true, further efforts need to be taken to bring to light those stakeholders, be they owners of hotels and restaurants in the surrounding areas, their staffs, owners of small commercial enterprises offering guides , or travel agents in the traditional sense as well as their digital equivalents. These stakeholders should not be limited to those who solely make their living directly from the receipts of tourist revenues. The term “ stakeholder ” must also include those members of the community who are involved in the secondary services to which tourists are attracted, for example, the local supermarkets. These members of communities are not necessarily financially recompensed, yet all help to drive an important constituent of France ’ s national wealth . As has been duly noted by scholars (Raboteur, 2000, p.   7), the economics of tourism has, in general, failed to attract much academic interest. Historical tourism, and the impact that this phenomenon can have upon local economies, has also fallen victim to this same neglect.

• 7 http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/tourism/the-place-of-tourism-in-the-french (...)

15 If the analysis of J. - L.   Caccomo is adopted, regarding the market for the tourist industry, the price of the product is heavily influenced by the traditional demand- side considerations including quality, taste and revenue, as well as supply- side factors relating to the cost of production as well as fiscal policy (Caccomo, 2007, p.   19). The importance of a favourable governmental policy, one which fosters and aids the development of resorts and attractions, becomes evident. The French Interior Ministry accords great significance to the impact of the tourist industry on the national economy; indeed, it affirms that France holds a positive balance of trade in this sector of €10.3 billion . 7 Therefore, it is of national and international interest to know more about this industry , which is so vital to the economic fate of the country.

• 8 http://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/consommation/Pratiques-commerciales/TVA-a-5-5-dans-la-restaurati (...)

16 Using the statistics provided by the French General Department of Enterprises covering the years 2005 – 2012, shown in Table   1, it can be seen that an increasing number of businesses have been entering the tourism marketplace in general. Although certain years of the surveys are missing, notably data relating to 2008, conclusions can still be drawn regarding the health of the French tourism industry. Following the economic downturn in 2008, increased efforts by central government to encourage entrepreneurial activity seem to have translated into stable growth, in particular in the accommodation sector. The large increase in the numbers of restaurants over the period could be a perverse consequence of the economic crisis. By aggravating existing structural weaknesses in France’s employment market, the crisis led to large numbers of people being encouraged to start their own businesses. This was facilitated by the creation of a new form of business entity, the autoentrepreneur , under the Loi sur le modernisation de l’économie , passed on 4   August 2008 (Hagège and Masson, 2010). However, as can be seen by the seemingly incongruous result for the numbers of restaurants in 2011 , a drop of 49,820 on the previous year, those who started businesses under this model did not necessarily survive the difficulties that emerged from the tightening of commercial credit (European Commission, 2009), twinned with the equally high employment and social charges. This fall came in spite of the lowering of VAT to 5.5% undertaken in 2009 . 8 The increasing numbers of travel agencies following 2009 could reflect the widespread adoption in France of the technological advances linked to the Internet, thereby allowing more varied options for those entrepreneurs looking to exploit this medium. In light of these statistics, it seems evident that questions should be asked relating to the part played by these businesses, their workforce and the entrepreneurs who have driven this growth.

Table 1. Businesses in the French tourism industry, 2005–2012

Table compiled from data found on www.entreprises.gouv.fr/etudes-et-statistiques/chiffres-cles-tourisme .

9 European Museum of the Year Award, Special Commendation, 1994.

10 Interview conducted with local restaurant owner and hotel owner, 10/08/2016.

17 Until now, the links between local business and battlefield tourism have proven obscure. However, and in large part due to the centenary commemorations, these links have been highlighted by the regional tourist offices , firstly to maximi s e both the visibility of local trade , and secondly to encourage the transmission of the past. At Péronne, the Historial de la Grande Guerre, an award-winning museum 9 dedicated to the Battle of the Somme, is leading the way in underlining the historical interest amongst shops and other forms of business. The exhibition of photos of 20 Péronnais business owners to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Historial – 20 Ans, 20 Commerçants – shows both the support for, and the necessity of, such attractions in the local economy. Café owner, butcher, engraver, shoe-seller, photographer – diverse tradespeople take an interest in the promotion of their communities. One could suggest that this has been motivated, in part, by self-interest, as a thriving town attracts more visitors and the virtuous cycle continues. On the other hand, it becomes clear that sites linked to the battlefield are one of the few attractions in th is predominantly agricultural landscape far from the cities in the locality , such as Amiens or Arras. The captions that accompany each photograph offer an opportunity to explain the personal connection between the subject and the object they hold, all picked from the museum’s collection. The contact details and opening hours of their respective businesses are indicated, along with the supporters of the project such as the European Union, the French local and central governments and media groups. This support is echoed by other business owners, linked directly to the tourist market in the locality. The four campsites and multiplicity of hotel s that surround Péronne help to cater for the different nationalities which cross France’s Northern (Nord) region, principally Belgian, Dutch, German and British. The development opportunities that these businesses generate have allowed for the creation of employment, in particular in the food , beverage and hospitality industries. Some of the tradespeople talked of the doubling of their enterprises to cope with growing demand . 10 It appears that history, and battlefields in particular, can indeed be seen as drivers for the local economy in northern France.

18 Stakeholders play an important part in any analysis of a given market. When one thinks of battlefield tourism, the tourist themselves and the tour operator are the first that come to mind. However, there are numerous others who operate in this sector; some are salaried, whereas some offer their time charitably. These employees can include the staff of visitor centres, the guides employed either by tour operators or by local public-sector institutions such as the tourist office, transport companies operating coach trips, or even private rental agencies.

19 In the areas that have been touched by battles of the First World War, tourism offers a boost for local employment, especially when considering the closing of the last French coal mines at the turn of the new millennium in the Nord- Pas-de- Calais mining basin. Therefore, the restaurant owners and local shop owners must be considered as forms of tertiary stakeholders , who operat e not simply to cater for the demands of the battlefield tourists, but who are nonetheless beneficiaries of their custom. These stakeholders offer their professional expertise and their local knowledge to battlefield tourists, as was highlighted in the 20 Ans, 20 Commerçants exhibition at Péronne. Those who run and work in these establishments are reliant upon the economy of history , as such services are tied to the passing trade that is offered by the battlefield tourists.

20 Tourists use many different forms of transportation to arrive at their chosen destination. This is highlighted in the publicity produced by the regional tourist boards, offering prepared automobile routes, complete with road-signing, as can be seen in Figure 2. Equally, walking guides and maps have been produced by companies including the well-respected Michelin guides. These comprehensive maps of the battlefields have been published since 1917, at the same time as the combat raged. They have, nevertheless, been completely updated to include events and routes introduced for the centenary commemorations.

Figure 2. Local signposting of tourist route, Péronne, Somme, 9 August 2016

Photograph by the author.

21 In order to foster closer links between local trade and the historical attractions, a scheme has been implemented following a coordinated effort by four regional actors: the Historial de la Grande Guerre, Sommetourisme, the Musée Somme 1916 and the Chamber of Commerce for Amiens-Picardie. The aim was to form a network of professionals who could encourage the battlefield tourists to make better use of the services on offer in the locality. These include restaurateurs, tourist offices, transportation professionals, accommodation professionals, and the sites themselves. Their membership is indicated by a red and green logo of a poppy that is affixed to the front of the establishment. What this signifies is that the member will provide practical information for the tourist relating to the battlefield sites and their environs, thereby allowing the tourist to make the most of their visit, and at the same time allowing the professional to indicate the presence of fellow members. One form of encouragement given to the tourist is a book of coupons that offers discounts to museums in the area. This offers an incentive whilst providing information that might otherwise have gone unseen. Nonetheless, this model is not limited to the area around the Somme. Similar partnerships exist in other areas of northern France and Belgium, such as the Northern France Battlefield Partner scheme, the Passeurs de Mémoire in the Aisne, and the 2014–18 Remembrance Partner Scheme around Flanders fields.

Memorialisation and its central role in the “economy of history”

22 The industrialisation of war left indelible marks on the French countryside and therefore allowed for the development of memorialisation and the subsequent transformation of the landscape into an object of attraction for the tourist in its own right. Prior to this, memorialisation was reserved for the elites. This process of societally internalising the events of the past became something opened up to all who gave their life, regardless of country of birth or position in life. However, with the passing of the veterans, memorialisation began to take on a different meaning. Whereas those involved did not need reminding of the causes of the war, subsequent generations risked losing the messages that had been learnt with the blood, sweat and sacrifice of their elders. Memorialisation became highly implicated in the transmission of these messages in an effort to try and avoid further carnage.

23 As this study focuses upon the financial implications of battlefield tourism, the flourishing of support for memorial projects for the First World War in the north of France since the beginning of the twenty-first century holds special importance, as is attested by the founding of visitor centres. The small village of Thiepval, 30 kilometres from Péronne, is at the forefront of efforts to encourage the remembrance of the 945,000 French, German and British soldiers who lost their lives during the battles of the Somme, which took place during 1916 and continued into 1917. There are two closely linked attractions that aid in the transmission of knowledge about this traumatic event.

11 http://www.historial.org/ (consulted 25/05/2015).

• 12 100 Great War 14 - 18 – Centenary of the Great War Sites, Museums, Events , multilingual publicity bro (...)
• 13 http://www.somme-battlefields.com/centenary-somme-2016/new-thiepval-museum-dedicated-battles-somme (...)

14 http://www.cwgc.org/about-us/our-organisation/how-we-are-funded.aspx (consulted 24/08/2016).

24 The Historial de la Grande Guerre, housed in the Château de Péronne , 11 houses over 70,000 pieces relating to the First World War and stages temporary exhibitions that focus on different aspects of the war, notably a reconstruction of a Saint-Chamand tank, alongside its permanent trilingual displays. This approach offers the tourist a truly comparative approach, allowing the war to be seen from the perspectives of the different nationalities involved in the fighting. The Historial is twinned with the Franco-British Memorial and V isitor C entre at Thiepval. This memorial was constructed between 1928 and 1932 from the designs by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the prolific British architect previously commissioned to plan New Delhi and t he Cenotaph in London. The Franco-British Memorial is inscribed with the names of the 72,205 British and South African servicemen declared missing-in-action and who have no recorded grave . 12 Their names form a sombre banner, etched onto the 16 pillars that support the 45- metre- high arch. The visitor centre, which was initially launched in 1998 and led by Sir Frank Sanderson, grew from a collective feeling that the existing facilities were inadequate to fulfil their raison d’être of welcoming and educating those who came to visit the site. The project was built upon an Anglo-French collaboration to raise funds, and was finished in 2004, opening its doors to visitors the same year. The Le Corbusier - inspired structure houses a permanent exhibition, which was recently expanded with the addition of a 60 -metre-long monumental fresco, drawn by the artist and journalist Joe Sacco, depicting the first day of the Battle of the Somme . 13 The memorial and the cemetery that surround it are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, funded proportionally by the governments of the Commonwealth nations relative to the number of graves . 14

Figure 3. Graphical representation of attendances to the historical attractions at Thiepval and Péronne, 2004–2011

Illustration, by the author, based on statistics in Annex 3.

25 As we can see in Figure   3 , for the period 2004–2011 the number of visitors to these cultural sites has fluctuated, both positively and negatively , and nor were the visitor numbers equally distributed between the two attractions. The Historial was consistently less frequented when compared to the Visitor Centre, most notably in the year 2008 , with a difference of 80,859. It can be reasonably argued that this has been caused by the imposition of an entry fee at the Historial for access to its wider-ranging collection of artefacts. This entry fee of €7.50 for adults, and €3.80 for concession s , is clearly sufficient to drive a number of battlefield tourists towards its free-to-enter sister institution, even when one takes into account the discount on offer from the Somme Battlefields’ Partner scheme. As was explained by Raboteur, price is a major contributory factor in the demand for attractions (Raboteur, 2000, p.   29). However, when considering the Historial, visitors are still prepared to pay for the attraction, despite being offered an alternative at no cost. It is not possible to categorise battlefield tourism in terms of the effects of being a Veblen product, a bandwagon effect or any form of snob effect (Dwyer, Forsyth and Dwyer, 2011, p.   40). The price of entry is neither too high to be prohibitive, nor are the numbers of visitors sufficient to suggest a bandwagon effect in progress. This suggests that there are further factors that need to be taken into account when considering cultural attractions and their economic consequences, namely emotion in this case. This concept causes great difficulty to the social scientist, for emotion is difficultly quantifiable. However, it would be disingenuous to suggest that the choice of destination was not linked intrinsically to what the traveller seeks to gain from their holiday. The pursuit of historical knowledge and emotional connection provide the draw to battlefield tourists, and these cannot be attributed to other activities available in this formerly industrial area. In large part, people visit the area for the battlefields and this predominance is demonstrated in the literature published by the tourist offices. It must be acknowledged that great stock is placed in these historical attractions by the local community, despite the nature of the draw. Nevertheless, the pricing policy of the Historial seems to be successful in attracting visitors , as three quarters are prepared to pay the cost of entry to the museum.

• 15 Press kit published by the Historial de la Grande Guerre, Péronne, http://www.historial.org/ (consu (...)

26 When further pieces of data are considered, including the nationalities of the visitors, we begin to see a different picture emerging. The Historial welcomes a large percentage of it s visitors from inside the Hexagone itself ( 70% ) , with only 30% of its clients coming from abroad. 15 This suggests that French tourists are more prepared to pay to partake in the ex hibitions . It is likely that there is commercial reasoning behind this. C onsidering that 90% of those travelling to the Visitor Centre at Thiepval are British, and when consider ed alongside Iles ’s findings relating to her own experiences on a guided battlefield tour (Iles, 2008, pp.  138–154) , we can imagine that a large proportion will have come as part of an organise d commercial tour (Iles, 20 08 , p.   142). With a limited amount of time in which to visit the monuments, the aim of these companies is to condense the information housed within the museum by the use of an experienced tour guide, thereby allowing their clients to acquire this knowledge without the additional time needed to tour the museum itself. However, this presumption does not entirely reflect reality as many British tourists do indeed come individually, and they integrate their visits to the battlefields into a wider travel itinerary. Domestic tourists are not necessarily subject to the same time constraints as their foreign counterparts and they c an therefore opt to see the museum without resorting to the expense of hiring a tour guide. This may explain the difference in the numbers of domestic and international visitors coming to these attractions.

27 The narrowing of visitor numbers between the Visitor Centre at Thiepval and the Historial could plausibly indicate the wide-reaching impact of the financial crisis that began in 2008. As can be seen in Figure 2, the Historial, more frequented by French visitors, saw a lower percentage fall in visitors of 10.2% between 2008 and 2011. The Visitor Centre at Thiepval saw a greater drop in attendances over the same period, with a fall of 20.9%. This suggests that the mostly British clientele were choosing not to use guided tours to the Visitor Centre in the same numbers as before. Whilst the numbers of French customers to the Historial did decline, the significance of the change was much less statistically pronounced.

28 However, it must be recognized that, whilst the aims of the two sites remain the same – that is to say, to educate and to remember – the way in which they meet their aims are very different. The Historial at Péronne is a museum in the traditional sense of the term, a place to collect and to put objects on public display; the Visitor Centre and memorial at Thiepval is a place of commemoration and a site for collective memorialisation. This means that they appeal to different audiences. The memorial at Thiepval seeks to impress the visitor by its size; it is predominantly a place for remembrance of the British servicemen who died, and thus offers more limited appeal than its sister institution. The Historial at Péronne takes a much less partisan approach, by offering the permanent trilingual exhibition, and exhibits from all the countries involved in order to reflect the realities of the war in their geographic context, taking the visitor on a tactile tour of the events. Whereas the only thing required to appreciate the Franco-British Memorial at Thiepval is a walk around, the Historial and its many exhibits do not necessarily tell their story immediately, thereby requiring more time to experience, especially the audio-visual and tactile computer technology implemented since its refurbishment in 2016.

16 www.memorialdeverdun.fr/ (consulted 26/05/2015).

17 Press kit published by the Mémorial de Verdun, www.memorialdeverdun.fr/ (consulted 24/05/2015).

• 18 http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/departement.asp?dep=55 (...)
• 19 http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/departement.asp?dep=80# (...)

20 http://www.ojd.com/Support/l-est-republicain (consulted 27/05/2015).

21 France 2, France Télévisions, broadcast 29/05/2016.

29 Another site that fits into the paying model is the Mémorial de Verdun . 16 This museum, situated in the town of Verdun in the département of the Meuse, has been closed to the public for renovation since September 2014, yet is a site that has attracted large numbers of visitors ever since it opened in 1967. Designed by the architects M.   Bidault and C.   Legrand, the structure houses 1000   m² of floor space devoted to the history of the costly Franco-German battle in 1916. As we can see from the statistics of those who visited the museum , a mean average of 109,582 during the period 2006 – 2013 , 17 there were more tourists enticed to visit this memorial. This could be explained by the relative ages of the sites. The Mémorial de Verdun is much older and therefore more established than its counterpart. Equally, the site of this memorial is in France ; there are therefore many more families affected, and whose descendants are within the range of viable travel. Verdun is a larger town than Péronne, both in demography and the number of attractions – according to INSEE , for the year 2013, 19,144 inhabitants lived in Verdun , 18 whereas 8,142 people were recorded for Péronne . 19 Verdun has become a centre for battlefield tourism and related activities , including a special bus service to take tourists to the different positions along the line, and a subterranean fort dating from the sixteenth century that housed both men and material during the battles nearby. The ferocity of the fighting attracted attention as soon as the fighting ceased, with numerous cities granting honours to the town for the bravery of its inhabitants. It has therefore gained more exposure amongst tourists and, arguably more importantly, in the press. The Mémorial de Verdun has featured in publications such as the magazine Batailles , in May 2010, as well as in the local newspaper L ’ Est Républicain , in May 2011. Whilst the readership of these publications may be limited, L ’ Est Républicain prints 134,775 copies on average each month ; 20 the publications reach a regional audience above all. A national memorial nearby, the Ossuary of Douaumont, served as a backdrop to the night of television program me s devoted to commemorations of Verdun , 21 on 29   May 2016. This form of mass publicity allows the site and the nearby town to remain in the public consciousness. Although the promotion of tourism is not a new phenomenon , it can be argued that, in the aftermath of the economic downturn, domestic demand is of renewed importance to policymakers, as has been demonstrated by the comments of Laurent Fabius, the former French Foreign Minister, in the citation that opened this article.

30 This leads back to the main premise of this paper: the impact that these domestic and international tourists have upon the community around which their interests are centred, and the way in which battlefield tourism also generates revenues for companies both inside and outside French borders. The issue will be examined on multiple levels, beginning with the sites themselves, followed by the investments that have been effected to bring them to their current positions, and then moving on to the national level by analyzing the numbers of employers and employees involved in the tourist industry as a whole and considering an example of how the demand for tourism in France can help support business overseas.

The impact of battlefield tourism

31 In order to better understand the impact of battlefield tourism, different variables can be investigated. The first concrete measure that can be seen is the local employment, for not all stakeholders are self-employed and must look for employment. At Verdun, the regional committee for tourism has published statistics on the economic boons created by tourism. From their statistics (Observatoire Lorrain du Tourisme, 2016, pp. 12–14) , stating that 36.6% of the 82,000 workers in this industry are employed in Lorraine, it can be calculated that 30,012 are employed in tourism. Considering that the Ossuary of Douaumont is the fifth most visited site in this area, these positive effects of battlefield tourism can be seen more clearly.

32 Secondly, with regard to the Historial de la Grande Guerre at Péronne, i t is essential to ensure that revenue calculations are effected for these attractions , as they have such a significant economic impact on the local economy. If a low-end estimate of the gross revenues accumulated by the Historial de la Grande Guerre is produced , without deducting for the cost of overheads, it can be calculated that the attraction made €275,044 , using 2011 data. Equally, being more optimistic and assuming that every visitor was paying the maximum tariff of €7.50, it can be estimated that €542,850 was taken from paying tourists. In reality, it can be assumed that the actual receipts for these two sites were somewhere in between these two estimates.

• 22 http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/tourism/the-place-of-tourism-in-the-french (...)

33 These sites help to illustrate the collective spending power of those tourists who visit memorial centres. It can be said that the higher the demand created by the tourists, the more opportunities for entrepreneurship to flourish. At the most basic level, it is for this reason that the number of businesses involved in the tourist industry in France has been increasing since 2006, with over 900,000 jobs provided nationally in this sector . 22 However, when considering the large numbers of tourists who come to France each year, 84.7 million in 2013, it is apparent that the vast majority do not necessarily come with the intention of partaking in battlefield tourism.

23 http://www.thiepval.org.uk/news.htm (consulted 24/05/2015). Conversion rate of 0.72/1.39.

34 Nevertheless, significant investment has been injected into structures catering for this niche market , especially since the end of the 1990s, and accelerating from the beginning of the twenty-first century. This investment has been both pecuniary and physical , taking the form of monetary donations as well as the time spent campaigning to make these structures more visible to the public. More than 2 , 000 financial gifts helped to fund the creation of the Visitor Centre at Thiepval. Moreover, they came from individuals, including the benefactor who gave £1 for each name on the memorial, or the £5 , 000 gift received from the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Other donations were gifted by trusts, such as the Dulverton Trust which donated £25,000, together with private companies, including HSBC, British American Tobacco and Unilever. Local and national government helped by donating, including the £40,000 received from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. A significant p roportion was financed by the European Union, and the expertise of different organi z ations , including the Imperial War Museum and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission , was put at the disposal of the campaign. Eurotunnel offered its own support to the project by allowing free travel to members of the commission. In total, the amount raised by the EU, the General Council of the Somme and the CAF Thiepval Project came to £1,906,000, or €2,647,000 . 23

35 Due to their philanthropic nature, these donations cannot be treated as traditional economic products, for this expenditure serves no quantifiable human need other than the desire to perpetuate the memory of a historic event. The act of giving can therefore be qualified as playing an important part in the economics of emotion, for it relies entirely upon the moral character of a given economic actor in order to take place. This fusion of both history and emotion in the economic context is a self-perpetuating phenomenon that is unlikely to be halted, considering man’s insatiable desire for knowledge of the past and of the darker elements of life, as well as death.

24 http://www.visitbattlefields.co.uk/ (consulted 25/05/2015).

25 https://companycheck.co.uk/company/01442476/LEGER-HOLIDAYS-LIMITED/summary (consulted 29/05/2015).

• 26 Interview conducted with Ms Anita Rodgers, European Touring Commercial Manager, Leger Holidays, 20/ (...)

36 A central element of economic activity is the search for profit. Battlefield tourism has attracted a number of entrepreneurs offering speciali z ed tours, such as those formerly offered by Major Holt, prior to the acquisition of Holt’s Battlefield Tours by Leger Holidays in 2014. Across France, Leger Holidays organise s trips to many different sites relating to both the First and Second World Wars. 24 Leger’s accounts show that, despite a relatively modest cash turnover of £156,282, the company Leger Holidays Ltd records assets of £5.3 m illion alongside liabilities of £3.3 m illio n , with a net worth of £2 m illion. 25 The fact that this company is still trading, 36 years after its creation in 1979, stands testament to the business opportunities afforded to entrepreneurs ready to participate in the market for escorted coach holidays. Their initial forays into the niche sector of battlefield tours came in the early 2000s and concentrated on the Western Front during World War One, and the D-Day landings in Normandy. 26 These holidays have since become a mainstay in their portfolio, which has grown to over 45 tours, encompassing wars from different epochs. The customer base that make s use of Leger Holidays is predominantly centred in the UK; however, a number of overseas clients do find out about the tours thanks to the I nternet and word of mouth. The age and cultural demographic of visitors is incredibly broad, and ranges from veterans to couples, schoolchildren to all - male groups. As has been underlined by Iles (2008), and subsequently reiterated by Leger Holidays, the primary motivation for undertaking these trips is primarily historical, either to visit specific memorials or to undertake familial research. A number of criteria are used by the company when selecting the local amenities used during their coach trips. The first is proximity : hotels and restaurants need to be located centrally in relation to the areas being visited. The second is quality : generally, Leger use three-star accommodation as the standard is in keeping with their desire to please customers, yet at the same time this impacts on the holidays’ running costs. Understandably, cost and standards are of paramount importance, as they hold the key to attracting customers, ensuring that these become return clients and that they will be predisposed to recommend Leger to their friends and family. Moreover, significant responsibility is accorded to the guides, both in terms of satisfying the customer, but also in designing the individual routes. The tour guides are generally the best informed regarding offers available for larger parties in their localities, and it is therefore they who decide where the group should eat at lunch, as the hotels are used purely on a bed-and-breakfast basis . The chief battlefield guide is the designer of the itineraries offered by Leger Holidays. This therefore offers scope for the adoption of tours based on relevant anniversaries or customer feedback. However, tours are being constantly refreshed, revised and rerouted. The itinerary “ Set Europe Ablaze : SOE, SAS and the French Resistance ” followed a route that led to the south-west of France ; the tour was introduced in 2012 but dropped at the end of 2014. This form of renewal allows the company to offer a service to clients whose historical interests are diverse yet who wish to follow the format of a guided coach tour, and therefore see a maximum of sites in a limited period of time. As has been noted, Leger were not the first to offer battlefield tours, and their success in the sector of guided coach tours led them into this niche market. Their acquisition of Holt’s Battlefield Tours in 2014 marked an end to this particular commercial conflict. The recent spate of anniversaries of both the First and Second World Wars ha s attracted other tour operators to offer a number of basic tours, but Leger are still identified as the leading specialist in this domain by the diversity of their trips. Their work, by the offering of battlefield tours, helps towards the process of memorialisation and remembrance. The school parties that they transport and the university research they aid help to accelerate the transmission of knowledge relating to this period. However, as a company, Leger Holidays are well aware that, from a commercial standpoint, it is this interest from the public that enables them to continue trading. They should therefore be qualified as important actors in the economy of history.

Conclusions

37 As has been shown, the importance of the tourism industry to France is vital both for its economy as well as towards its development in the cultural sphere, and is one in which France has led for many years. Tourism is a motor that attracts both entrepreneurial effort as well as encouraging the restoration of historic sites and the enlargement of the country’s cultural heritage. Battlefield tourism, as a niche market in this sector, has encouraged the reinvention of certain areas of the country that were prime examples of de industrialisation . This has allowed them to capitali z e upon their historic past and for tourism to flourish. This successful conversion is the mark of a true “ post-industrial society ” , to use the term populari z ed by Bell (1976). It is only fitting that the destructive power of the deadly arms and machines from the industrial era should be the precursor for a further transformation in the French countryside , from an industrial heartland into a tourist attraction. Nevertheless, a fuller investigation into the costs and benefits that impact upon the local population is required, at least in terms of economic and social considerations.

38 The “economy of history”, history as a motor for economic activity, utilises natural inquisitiveness as a means of supporting itself financially. If consumers did not feel the need to frequent museums and visitor centres, this market would cease to function and numerous attractions would have to close their doors to the public. Despite tax exemptions, donations of time and manpower, as well as support from both local and national government, when considering the very high barriers to entry, cultural tourism is often far from the minds of most entrepreneurs. However, as has been shown by the successful ventures of Leger Holidays, profit is indeed there to be earned by those willing to take the risk. This raises important questions as to the need for innovation in the historical tourism sector, both in France and internationally. Equally, the introduction of new technology in the museum experience is already underway, filtering through at the Historial de la Grande Guerre following its recent refurbishment. Such improvements are already being made, yet they merely help to add to the ever-increasing costs involved in operating a visitor centre. These do not simply include the maintenance and upkeep of the site and the exhibitions, but also include those funds allocated to financing further academic research, and projects for younger students. However, such undertakings are not simply beneficial pedagogically and nor is the benefit exclusive to the visitor who attends these attractions; they also benefit the historical and cultural heritage of France as a whole. It has been argued that battlefield tourism is a self-perpetuating phenomenon, as donations to the Visitor Centre at Thiepval included the names of Major and Mrs Holt as representatives of the first generation of entrepreneurs in the “economy of history” following the Second World War.

39 The part played by the different stakeholders in this economy is varied and wide-ranging , stretching from those directly linked to the visits of the tourists themselves to those whose businesses are helped by the presence of tourists yet who are not entirely reliant upon their custom. The networks that have been created with the input of stakeholders offer a means to increase their visibility amongst the tourists whilst, at the same time, helping to educate and enlighten the visitor s as to the local cultural heritage nearby. It is in part thanks to such schemes including the Somme Battlefields’ Partner scheme that connections between local business and the attractions have multiplied and thrived, as demonstrated by the exhibition 20 Ans, 20 Commerçants . It is equally clear that there was a significant increase in visits to sites around the Somme at the beginning of the centenary celebrations in 2014 , which, although slightly falling in 2015, look s set to be repeated in 2016. However, it remains to be seen whether recent events in France, which have begun to be felt in the tourist sector, will have a notable effect on battlefield tourism.

• 27 http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2015/08/02/apres-un-sejour-polemique-le-roi-d-arabie-saoudite (...)

40 In order to fully understand the scope of the “ economy of history ” in France, further investigation needs to be conducted into the two remaining constituent parts, namely monuments and ch a teaux as well as the newly developing niche of historical theme parks and the more interactive historical “ experience ” . These types of attractions have helped to cement the reputation of France as being amongst the most sought-after and royally approved of destinations, as demonstrated by the 2015 visit of King Salman of Saudi Arabia to Château de l’Horizon at Vallauris . 27 Such research would allow for a clearer image to be formed as to the state of the French historical tourism industry, and thereby provide indications for future work , as has been called for by both professionals and academics.

Annex 1. Occupation of hotel rooms in the Somme – Accommodation survey by INSEE

Source: http://www.picardietourisme-acteurs.com/​Vos-outils/​Chiffres-cles-et-etudes/​Bilans-de-frequentation-touristique/​Somme

Annex 2. Evolution in the numbers of visitors to attractions in the Vallée de la Haute Somme, 1998–2015

Table compiled from data found on http://www.picardietourisme-acteurs.com/​Vos-outils/​Chiffres-cles-et-etudes/​Bilans-de-frequentation-touristique/​Somme.

Annex 3. Number of visitors recorded at the Historial de la Grande Guerre at Péronne and the Visitor Centre at Thiepval, 2004–2011

Source: Press kit – http://www.historial.org/​

41 Josquin Barre , Vendre le tourisme culturel . Guide méthodologique , Paris, Édition s Economica, 1995, 316p.

42 Daniel Bell , The Coming of the Post-Industrial Society , New York, Basic Books ( New Ed ed.) , 1976, 618p.

43 Françoise Benhamou , Économie du patrimoine culturel , Paris, La Découverte, 2012, coll. “Les Repères/Culture et communication”, 126p.

44 Jean-Louis Caccomo , Fondements d ’ économie du tourisme . Acteurs, marchés, stratégies , Brussels, De Boeck, 2007, 225p.

45 Daniel Clary , Le tourisme dans l ’ espace français , Paris, Masson, 1993, 358p.

Ria Dunkley , Nigel Morgan and Sheena Westwood , “ Visiting the trenches: Exploring meanings and motivations in battlefield tourism ” , Tourism Management , 32 (4) , 2011, pp.   860 – 868 .

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Jean- Michel Hoerner, Annales de tourisme 2011 , Perpignan, Éditions Talaia, coll. “Géopolitique 2”, 2011, 222p.

Sandie Holgun , “‘ National Spain Invites You ’ : Battlefield Tourism during the Spanish Civil War ” , The American Historical Review , 110 ( 5 ) , 2005, pp. 1399 – 1426 .

Alistair Horne, The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-1871 , Pan, 2012 .

Jennifer Iles , “ Encounters in the Fields : Tourism to the Battlefields of the Western Front ”, Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change , 6 ( 2 ) , 2008, pp.   138 – 154 .

Bertrand Larique , L’économie du tourisme en France des années 1890 à la veille de la Seconde Guerre mondiale . Organisation et développement d’un secteur socio-économique , history doctoral thesis, Bordeaux III University , 2006 .

John Lennon and Malcolm Foley , Dark Tourism: The Attraction of Death and Disaster , London, Continuum, 2000, 184p.

David Lloyd , Battlefield Tourism : Pilgrimage and the Commemoration of the Great War in Britain, Australia and Canada, 1919 – 1939 , London, Berg , 1998, 264p.

Observatoire Lorrain du Tourisme, Chiffres clés du tourisme en Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine 2015 , 2016, pp. 12–14 [http://www.observatoire-lorraine.fr/​publications/​poids-economique/​].

Antoine Prost and Jay Winter , Penser la Grande Guerre . Un essai d’historiographie , Paris, É ditions du Seuil, 2004, 352p .

Joël Raboteur , Introduction à l ’ économie du tourisme , Paris, L ’ Harmattan, 2000, 152p.

Eric Venbrux , “ Cemetery tourism: C oming to terms with death? ”, La Ricerca Folklorica , 61, Indigenous Tourism, Performance, and Cross-Cultural Understanding in the Pacific, A pril 2010, pp. 41 – 49 .

Philippe Violier (ed.), L ’ espace local et les acteurs du tourisme , Rennes, Presse s Universitaire s de Rennes, 1999, 177p.

Jay Winter , Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning: The Great War in European Cultural History , Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1995, 310p.

Jay Winter , The Great War and the British People , Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 1985 ( 2nd ed . , 2003), 3 76 p.

Bibliographie

European Commission, Economic Crisis in Europe: Causes, Consequences and Responses , European Economy 7, Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2009, consulted 20/09/2015 [ http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication15887_en.pdf ].

Claire Hag è ge and Clotilde Masson , “ La création d ’ entreprise en 2009 dopée par les auto-entrepreneurs ” , I NSEE Prèmiere , 1277 , 2010, consulted 20/09/2015 [ www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?ref_id=ip1277 ] .

Arthur Young , Arthur Young ’ s Travels in France during the Years 1787, 1788, 1789 , ed. Matilda Betham-Edwards , London, George Bell & Sons, 1909 [ http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/young-arthur-youngs-travels-in-france-during-the-years-1787-1788-1789 ].

Webography and digital support

http://www.batailledecastillon.com

http://www.cwgc.org/

https://companycheck.co.uk/company/01442476/LEGER-HOLIDAYS-LIMITED/summary

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/tourism/the-place-of-tourism-in-the-french/

http://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/consommation/Pratiques-commerciales/TVA-a-5-5-dans-la-restauration

http://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/files/files/directions_services/etudes-et-statistiques/stats-tourisme/chiffres-cles/CC_Tourisme_2014-v_anglaise2.pdf

http://www.historial.org/

http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2015/08/02/apres-un-sejour-polemique-le-roi-d-arabie-saoudite-quitte-la-cote-d-azur_4708948_3224.html

www.memorialdeverdun.fr/

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http://www.ojd.com/Support/l-est-republicain

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http://www.oradour.info/

http://www.oradour-sur-glane.fr/traitement/contenu.php?id_rubrique=55

http://www.puydufou.com/en/histoire

http://www.thiepval.org.uk/

http://www.thomascook.com/thomas-cook-history/

http://www.visitbattlefields.co.uk/

1 Trajectoires des aires et stations touristiques : dynamiques d’innovation, mises en tension et enjeux prospectifs,

Bordeaux, France, 16–18 April 2015.

4 http://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/files/files/directions_services/etudes-et-statistiques/stats-tourisme/chiffres-cles/CC_Tourisme_2014-v_anglaise2.pdf (consulted 21/04/2015).

7 http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/tourism/the-place-of-tourism-in-the-french/ (consulted 17/05/2015).

8 http://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/consommation/Pratiques-commerciales/TVA-a-5-5-dans-la-restauration (consulted 25/08/2016).

12 100 Great War 14 - 18 – Centenary of the Great War Sites, Museums, Events , multilingual publicity brochure produced by the tourist boards for Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Aisne and West-Vlaanderen, 2016.

13 http://www.somme-battlefields.com/centenary-somme-2016/new-thiepval-museum-dedicated-battles-somme (consulted 20/08/2016).

15 Press kit published by the Historial de la Grande Guerre, Péronne, http://www.historial.org/ (consulted 25/04/2015).

18 http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/departement.asp?dep=55 (consulted 20/08/2016).

19 http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/departement.asp?dep=80#dep_P (consulted 20/08/2016).

22 http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/tourism/the-place-of-tourism-in-the-french/ (consulted 24/05/2015).

26 Interview conducted with Ms Anita Rodgers, European Touring Commercial Manager, Leger Holidays, 20/08/2015.

27 http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2015/08/02/apres-un-sejour-polemique-le-roi-d-arabie-saoudite-quitte-la-cote-d-azur_4708948_3224.html (consulted 29/08/2016).

Table des illustrations

Pour citer cet article, référence électronique.

David Foulk , «  The impact of the “economy of history”: The example of battlefield tourism in France  » ,  Mondes du Tourisme [En ligne], 12 | 2016, mis en ligne le 01 décembre 2016 , consulté le 18 mai 2024 . URL  : http://journals.openedition.org/tourisme/1338 ; DOI  : https://doi.org/10.4000/tourisme.1338

David Foulk

Economic history student, master 2, Bordeaux Montaigne University, CEMMC, [email protected]

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Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 . Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.

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The Grand Tour- the most important time in the history of tourism?

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The Grand Tour isn’t only a TV show about cars, in actual fact, The Grand Tour is a very important part of the history of travel and tourism (and I expect this was the rationale for the name of the show ‘The Grand Tour too!). In this article I am going to teach you what The Grand Tour was, why it was so important to tourism and where the popular Grand Tour destinations were. Ready to learn more? Read on…

What is the Grand Tour?

Why is the grand tour important to tourism, the grand tour- paris, the grand tour- france onwards, the grand tour- heading north, the grand tour in the media, further reading.

The Grand Tour was the name of a traditional trip through Europe, undertaken by Upper Class boys as they were coming of age. It was mostly the British nobility and landed gentry who went on a Grand Tour, but this did extend to other wealthy Europeans and, later, South and North Americans as well as Filipinos. 

According to The National Trust , the term ‘Grand Tour’ was coined by the Catholic priest and travel writer Richard Lassels (c.1603-68), who used it in his influential guidebook The Voyage of Italy (published 1670) to describe young lords travelling abroad to learn about art, architecture and antiquity.

The Grand Tour was a form of travel from around 1550-1850. It was at its most popular during the 18th century, and was said to be the way to end a boy’s education – making them a man. Often, these adolescent boys would be accompanied by tutors who would make the scenes in front of them come to life. It was more of a hands-on education, much like how we have field trips today. The Grand Tour, however, was much more lengthy.

This rite of passage was a very important point in the timeline of the history of tourism – but why?

The Grand Tour is important to the overall history of tourism because it represented travel for educational and recreational purposes rather than, for example, trade or military reasons. It contributed greatly to the cultural, social, architectural, gastronomic, political and artistic evolution of the home country’s of these travellers – especially when, as time went on, it became accessible to not only gentry but artists, collectors, designers and more. These people would take influence from the things they saw abroad. Buildings in Britain would follow architectural styles the designer had seen in Italy , for example.

It is also so important because it was during this large timeframe that the term ‘tourist’ was first properly used. Without it, the history of tourism as we know it would look massively different. People were travelling en masse (although not in groups, per se, as this was before proper public transport existed), visiting new destinations and bringing back stories of their trips. As mentioned, The Grand Tour expanded from being purely a British upper class thing to being something taken by the working class, as well as nobility from other countries. It was highly influential.

The Grand Tour paved the way for the ongoing popularity of museums – as it was clear that people who travelled to different countries often had an interest in learning about the history and culture . It proved there was a need for lodgings for people visiting from out of town; it encouraged the growth of restaurants so visitors could try the local cuisines and so on. Essentially, it was the start of what we now know as tourism because it had such a large and visible influence.

Grand Tour destinations

There was no set itinerary for a Grand Tour. It was up to the individual, and often influenced by their interests or finances. However, most people followed the same vague outline at least. Paris and Rome were firm favourites along with much of the rest of Italy, but a typical itinerary might have looked something like this – if travelling from Britain, that is…

One would start their trip properly in Dover, on the south coast of England. This remains a popular transport hub for people travelling out of the country. From here, our Grand tourist would head by boat across the channel to Ostend in Belgium or either Calais or Le Havre in France depending on their preference. Here, the tourist and their tutor (and servants, if they had any) would decide on the next move.

Often this would be to purchase a coach to transport them from place to place. This would generally be sold on again when it was time to get back on another boat – although some travellers would dismantle theirs and take it with them on their trip.

The first major stop on anyone’s Grand Tour was Paris. The capital of France and the city of love and romance, as well as baked goods, beautiful artwork and breathtaking views, Paris was an obvious choice. Grand Tourists would often hire a French speaking guide to accompany them throughout the entirety of the trip, because it was Europe’s dominant language at the time. Paris was an ideal place to acquire some to join you on a Grand Tour!

Pairs held a world of opportunities, too. Fencing tutorials, dance lessons, French language tutorships, riding practice and so much more. On top of this was the sophistication of the French high society, which would help to polish the traveller’s manners for his eventual return to England.

After getting to know Paris, one would make the journey across to Switzerland to visit either Lusanne or Geneva. This would be only a short stop, however, in order to prepare for an often-difficult journey across the Alps. The really wealthy Grand Tourists would be carried across by their servants, but generally everyone struggled together.

Awaiting them on the other side of the Alps, of course, was Italy. This is typically where our Grand Tourists would spend the most time, visiting different cities and generally exploring over the course of quite a few months. Turin and Milan would be early stops, followed by an extensive stay in Florence. Home to a larger Anglo-Italian diasporic community, Florence was an excellent part of a Grand Tour and one which allowed for a lot of fun and socialising. From here there would be shorter trips to Pisa, Padua, Bologna and Venice – the latter being a high point for many.

But this didn’t conclude the Italian part of a Grand Tour at all. Venice gave way to Rome – particularly for the study of the ancient ruins here as well as the artwork of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque time periods. From Rome some of the more curious travellers went to Naples, where there was a big music scene, and even (after the mid 18-th century, of course) to Pompeii and Herculaneum to see the recent discoveries. Later still, some of the most adventurous Grand Tourists headed to Siciliy to see even more archaeological sites, Greece for the sunshine and culture, and Malta for its history. For the most part, however, Naples or Rome were the usual end to an Italian adventure.

From Italy, most Grand Tourists would head back across the Alps to parts of Europe which were more dominated by the Germanic language. This included Vienna, Innsbruck, Dresden, Potsdam and Berlin – all beautiful cities with distinctive architecture and beautiful culture nuances. Some would even study at the universities in Heidelberg or Munich to round off their trip. Finally were flying visits to Holland or Flanders, before travelling back across the channel and returning to England full of the warm wonders of European travel and education.

By looking at this route, it almost seems reminiscent of an itinerary. And this is true, and is another reason why the Grand Tour is so important to tourism – it was the blueprint for many itineraries travellers and tourists still use today.

There are few pieces of media which actually depict someone going off on a Grand Tour – but we can see references to it, and influence from it, in many media stories. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, in fact, was said to be conceived during her own Grand Tour; the doctor in the story is born in Naples and travels throughout Europe.

There are various non-fiction books which make great reference to the Grand Tour, such as Francis Bacon’s Of Travel – a guide which is still relevant today – and some books which were more of a hybrid between fiction and non-fiction. These include Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad and Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s Italian Journey.

We can’t forget, of course, the TV show which takes its name from this early tourist phenomenon. The Grand Tour is a British motoring TV series, featuring Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson. Initially, it centred around car reviews and timed laps, motoring challenges and races, studio segments, and celebrity guests – with the ‘studio’ being a large portable tent. They filmed in different locations across the globe, hence the name. In a BBC article before the show was first launched, Clarkson said that the name brought to mind the tradition of Grand Tours, and reflected how the show would be filmed in different countries.

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The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

10 of the Best Historic Sites in France

From towering imposing castles to first world war trenches, ancient roman ruins to historic revolutionary sites, france is brimming with relics of its esteemed and turbulent history. here's our pick of 10 of the very best attractions in the country..

Lucy Davidson

27 aug 2021, @lucejuiceluce.

France is packed full of fantastic cultural attractions to visit. From the romance of Paris to the sunshine of the south and the picturesque Dordogne, there is something for any kind of history enthusiast to explore.

Many sites can be enjoyed against the backdrop of France’s chic cityscapes and rustic rural countryside. From stunning roman ruins and medieval fortresses to World War battlefields and beyond, France’s historic sites derive from a past filled with everything from bloody conquests to ostentatious royalty and ecclesiastical grandeur. Here’s our pick of 10 sites that you can’t miss.

What are the best Historic Sites in France?

1. Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles was originally the hunting lodge of France’s King Louis XIII, but was transformed into a magnificent residence by his son and successor, Louis XIV. The ostentatious monarch built the Grand Apartment of the King and Queen which included the magnificent Hall of Mirrors before moving both his court and the government of France to Versailles in 1682. It remained so until the famously turbulent French Revolution in 1789.

In the 19th Century, King Louis-Philippe turned Versailles into the Museum of the History of France. There are numerous places to visit at Versailles and a range of tour options. Audio headsets are available as are guided tours.

2. Nimes Arena

Nimes Arena is among the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. Built during the reign of Emperor Augustus in the first century AD, Nimes Arena is a marvel of Roman engineering. A vast oval with a stunning façade resplendent with archways and ornamentation, Nimes Arena could seat up to 24,000 people in its 34 terraces.

In the sixth century, under the Visigoths, Nimes Arena began to play a military role. Transformed from a sports arena to a castle fortress or “castrum arena” complete with a moat, the arena was a sort of emergency shelter of the people of the town in the event of attack. In the eighteenth century, this went even further with the establishment of a whole 700-strong village within its walls. It was only in 1786 that Nimes Arena began to be restored to its original grandeur.

3. Somme battlefields

The Somme battlefields constitute a series of sites where the Battle of the Somme was fought during ‘The War to End All Wars’ – the First World War. They are among the most famous battlefields in France.

Today, a forty mile route known as the Circuit of Remembrance starts from either the town of Albert or that of Peronne, winding through numerous battle sites, memorials, and museums. Those who wish to embark on this route of Somme battlefields can download audio guides to the route for free from various sources, including from the website of the Historial de la Grande Guerre museum.

4. Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris

Notre Dame is a gothic cathedral in Paris’s fourth arrondissement and a world famous tourist attraction. Though it recently endured a devastating fire, much is still available to see. While still an operating church, visitors are welcome to tour the building and appreciate both its beauty and sheer size. Some of the highlights include its stained glass windows, gothic architecture, and many sculptures.

Free tours are conducted throughout the year, and the nearby tower outside the cathedral is also worth a visit. Those feeling particularly fit can climb its 387 steps for magnificent views. Finally, Notre Dame’s Treasury houses some of the relics of the Passion of Christ, including the famous Crown of Thorns.

5. The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is an icon of modern France . Standing 324 metres tall, it’s the tallest building in Paris and the fifth tallest in the world.

Today, the Eiffel Tower is a tourist hotspot and visitors can climb or use the lifts to reach the first or second floors, the latter of which is 115 metres high. The most expansive views can be found on the Eiffel Tower’s third level at 276 metres, which has its own separate lift from the second floor. A backstage tour is available, which details the workings of the Eiffel Tower and its history.

6. Pont du Gard

Pont du Gard is an iconic Ancient Roman bridge and aqueduct built in first century AD located near Nimes in France. It was the tallest bridge ever built by the Romans, rising 160 feet. Nimes had been a major city of Gaul before 45BC, when it was incorporated in the Roman Empire. As the city’s population grew, exceeding 20,000, the need for water surpassed the available supplies of the Nemausus spring. Thus, from 40AD, over 1,000 workers were engaged in building Pont du Gard in order to transfer water from the Gard River (the Eure) to the city. Upon its completion, it would stay in use until the sixth century, when it was finally abandoned.

Since then, Pont du Gard has undergone a series of restoration projects and is now a spectacular place to visit. In 1985 it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. There is also a Pont du Gard museum on site that explores the engineering techniques used by the Romans to build the bridge as well as the history of the area in which it is built, which actually stretches back to prehistoric times. Other exhibits found within the museum also focus on the history of Nimes and the surrounding area during the Roman era.

7. Carcassonne

Carcassonne, known as “La Cite”, is a fortified town in southern France whose important strategic position between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic led to it being inhabited since before the Ancient Roman era. In the first century BC, Carcassonne and the area in which it was located were incorporated into the Roman Empire and, in the third and fourth centuries, the town began taking shape with the construction of a mighty wall. This, now largely ruined, wall is still visible in Carcassonne today.

After a turbulent history, including involvement in the Hundred Years’ War , Carcassonne began to suffer deterioration was it was exploited for materials. The Carcassonne seen today was reconstructed by Violett-le-Duc. There is much to see at Carcassonne, including its incredible double fortified 3 km walls and 52 towers. There are audio guided tours of the majestic citadel and visitors can explore the cathedral, both built by the then ruling Trencavels.

8. Les Invalides

Les Invalides was originally built by the order of Louis XIV as a hospital and home for ailing soldiers. Les Invalides was completed in 1676. Following its initial construction, several further additions were made to Les Invalids, including a chapel in 1679 and the striking Dome Church or ‘Église du Dôme’, which incorporates the royal chapel built by Louis XIV and completed in 1706.

One of the most significant dates in the history of Les Invalides was when the body of the Emperor Napoleon I ( Napoleon Bonaparte ) was brought there on December 15 1840. His tomb, which was completed in 1861, remains there today and is housed in the Dome Church. Les Invalides is made up of several buildings and now stands as the largest complex of monuments in Paris, including its comprehensive military museum, Musée de l’Armée.

9. Sainte Chapelle

Sainte Chapelle, or the “Holy Chapel”, is a gothic church built by Saint Louis in Ile de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The construction of Sainte Chapelle began in 1246 under the orders of King Louis IX, and was carried out with the specific purpose of housing the relics of the Passion of Christ, including the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the true cross. Even by the time Sainte Chapelle was consecrated in 1248 at a cost of 40,000 livres, the cost paled in comparison to the 135,000 livres which the relics cost when bought from the Byzantine emperor Baldwin II.

The relics are now housed in the Treasury at the Notre Dame Cathedral. However, there are still many attractions in Sainte Chapelle. With its two impressive upper and lower chapels and imposing gothic architecture, the striking church is a top tourist attraction.

10. Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Pere Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père-Lachaise) was established by Napoleon I in 1804. Originally considered to be too far from the main city, Pere Lachaise Cemetery initially attracted few funerals, but following a marketing campaign and the transfer of the remains of French philosopher Pierre Abélard in 1817, its popularity grew and it soon gained over 33,000 residents.

Singer Edith Piaf, novelist Marcel Proust, impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, and playwright Oscar Wilde are just a handful of some of the famous figures who are buried there today. One of the most popular graves at Pere Lachaise Cemetery is that of The Doors’ front man Jim Morrison.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery is also the home of the Mur des Fédérés or ‘Communards Wall’ where 147 of the working class defenders of Belleville or ‘Communards’ were shot on 28 May 1871 as part of the ‘Bloody Week’. This is also surrounded by monuments to concentration camp victims from the Holocaust.

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Introduction to Tourism in France

October 10 th , 2015

Contributors: Team 2 – Primary Writer – Blaine Yonemitsu 

France has a long and varied history, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Recent events, however, have taken a toll on the tourism industry in the country. Common risks to the industry generally stem from politics, economics, technology and social unrest.

The French political structure is generally stable; however, its ability to be flexible and responsive will be tested in the 2017 spring presidential elections. Current Socialist Party leader and President, François Hollande, is fighting an intense battle with not only the contenders of other parties but even contenders within his party. His low favourability ratings, which have only recently had moments of brightness following the terrorist attacks in Nice and Paris, have promoted other members of his party to try to usurp him as party nominee . The Republican party is currently a favourite to replace Hollande’s Socialist Party, but the Republicans have yet to nominate their leader. The Front National has also gain traction , led by Marine Le Pen, and is heavily focused on anti-immigration and anti-Islamic ideas. This divisive and unpredictable environment may prove to threaten the tourism industry. 

Unlike neighbouring Germany, the French economy has been almost at a standstill since the Great Recession of 2008. France remains the world's sixth largest economy with a GDP/per capita of $36,248 USD —however, its growth in recent years has been limited by increasing government expenditures, its high unemployment rate (which stands at 10.2%), and ongoing labour disputes. Second quarter results from France have been released and show no growth in GDP between April and June 2016, indicating that stagnant growth is a persistent problem. Moreover, the pressure on France’s economic situation has increased in light of recent of terrorist attacks, newly legislated controversial labour laws, and the United Kingdom’s EU referendum (Brexit). Declining economic standards could lead to a potential loss in funding for the upkeep of national monuments and overall cleanliness of the country. This could be aggravated by the correlation between declining economies and lower tourism.

There has been notable social unrest surrounding the increasing tension between France and the Islamic State. Following the terrorist attacks in France this past year, social segregation has been at the forefront of international news. As 7.5% of French population is Muslim , a significant portion of the population has been the victim of stereotyping and Islamophobia. The tension between the French traditionalists and Muslim minority is fostering a culture of division and exclusion, which will make it more difficult to attract Muslim tourists specifically and tourists of other minority groups more generally.

Technological trends are changing how tourists travel. Airbnb has been particularly popular in France, as travellers to Paris using Airbnb have increased 20% in the last year. Although this Airbnb may make travel more affordable and potentially increase the number of tourists or increase the amount of money tourists can allocate to other sectors of the economy, the state suffers large tax losses as the tax on an Airbnb guests is roughly half of that from bookings at regular hotels .

The most prominent issue surrounding any tourist destination is safety. With over 16 individual terrorist attacks, safety is a critical problem . As France is a major historical site it becomes a prime target for significant aggression. The consistency of the attacks is another concern, making them relatively ubiquitous. This greatly hurts the tourist perception of France, however due the historical foundation, expect France to rebound quickly.

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Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Regional tourism in France - statistics & facts

Diverse tourism patterns, the south of france, grand-est region and overseas departments, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Overnight stay distribution in hotels in France 2017, by region

Number of hotels in France 2018, by region

Share of tourism activity sectors in regional employment in France 2017

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Number of hotel rooms in France 2024, by region

Leisure Travel

Inbound tourism volume in Martinique 2010-2021, by type

Number of foreign visitor arrivals in Guadeloupe 2008-2018, by type

Further recommended statistics

• Premium Statistic Overnight stay distribution in hotels in France 2017, by region
• Basic Statistic Share of tourism activity sectors in regional employment in France 2017
• Basic Statistic Number of employees in thetourism sector by region in France 2017
• Basic Statistic Number of employees in tour operator services by region in France 2017

Breakdown of nights spent by tourists in hotels in metropolitan France in 2017, by region

Share of activity sectors characteristic of tourism in total salaried employment in France in 2017, by region

Number of employees in thetourism sector by region in France 2017

Total number of employees in the tourism sector in France in 2017, by region (in thousands)

Number of employees in tour operator services by region in France 2017

Total number of employees in the services sector of tour operators and travel agencies in France in 2017, by region

Accomodation

• Basic Statistic Number of hotels in France 2018, by region
• Basic Statistic Number of hotel rooms in France 2024, by region
• Basic Statistic Number of French tourist arrivals in hotels in France 2017
• Basic Statistic Arrivals of foreign tourists in hotels in France 2017, by region
• Basic Statistic Number of tourist and hotel residences in France 2018, by region
• Basic Statistic Number of campsites in France 2018, by region

Number of hotels in France as of January 2018, by region*

Number of hotel rooms in France as of February 2024, by region

Number of French tourist arrivals in hotels in France 2017

Number of French tourist arrivals in hotels in France in 2017, by region (in 1,000s)

Arrivals of foreign tourists in hotels in France 2017, by region

Total number of arrivals of foreign tourists to hotels in France in 2017, by region (in 1,000s)

Number of tourist and hotel residences in France 2018, by region

Number of tourist residences and apartment hotels in France as of January 2018, by region

Number of campsites in France 2018, by region

Number of campsites in France in 2018, by region

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

• Premium Statistic Main tourist attractions in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2018
• Premium Statistic Employment in the tourism industry in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2013-2017
• Premium Statistic Investments in the tourism industry in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2017
• Premium Statistic Average tourist expenditure per day and person in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2018
• Premium Statistic Domestic hotel overnight stays in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2013-2018
• Premium Statistic International hotel overnight stays in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2013-2018
• Premium Statistic Hotels overnight stays in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2018, by area
• Premium Statistic Domestic tourist flows in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2014-2016, by region
• Premium Statistic Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2019, by department

Main tourist attractions in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2018

Ranking of the most visited tourist attractions in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in 2018, by number of visitors

Employment in the tourism industry in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2013-2017

Total number of employees in the tourism industry in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes between 2013 and 2017

Investments in the tourism industry in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2017

Investments in the tourism industry in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in 2017 (in million euros)

Average tourist expenditure per day and person in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2018

Average tourist expenditure per day and per person in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in 2018, by place of stay (in euros)

Domestic hotel overnight stays in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2013-2018

Number of nights spent in hotels by domestic tourists in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes between 2013 and 2018 (in millions)

International hotel overnight stays in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2013-2018

Number of nights spent in hotels by international tourists in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes between 2013 and 2018 (in millions)

Hotels overnight stays in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2018, by area

Breakdown of nights spent in hotels in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in 2018, by type of area

Domestic tourist flows in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, 2014-2016, by region

Average number of domestic tourist arrivals and departures in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes between 2014 and 2016, by region (in millions)

Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 2019, by department

Airbnb contribution to tourist taxes in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in 2019, by department and city (in 1,000 euros)

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

• Premium Statistic Main tourist attractions on the French Riviera 2018
• Premium Statistic Tourism investments in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, in 2018, by sector
• Premium Statistic Tourist spending in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, in 2018, by sector
• Premium Statistic Nights spent in hotels by French tourists in PACA, France 2018, by city
• Premium Statistic Nights spent in hotels by foreign tourists in PACA, France, in 2018, by city
• Premium Statistic Hotel revenue per available room in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France 2016-2018
• Premium Statistic Domestic tourist flows in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, 2014-2016, by region
• Premium Statistic Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in PACA, France 2019, by department
• Premium Statistic Number of cruise passengers calling at Marseille 2013-2018
• Premium Statistic Number of cruise passengers calling on the French Riviera 2013-2017

Main tourist attractions on the French Riviera 2018

Ranking of the most visited tourist attractions on the Côte d'Azur (Alpes-Maritimes) in France in 2018, by number of visitors

Tourism investments in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, in 2018, by sector

Amount invested in tourism in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) in 2018, by sector (in million euros)

Breakdown of investments in tourism in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) in 2018, by sector

Tourist spending in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, in 2018, by sector

Breakdown of tourist expenses in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) in 2018, by sector

Nights spent in hotels by French tourists in PACA, France 2018, by city

Number of nights spent by French tourists in hotels in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) in 2018, by city (in 1000s)

Nights spent in hotels by foreign tourists in PACA, France, in 2018, by city

Number of nights spent by international tourists in hotels in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) in 2018, by city (in 1000s)

Hotel revenue per available room in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France 2016-2018

Revenue per available hotel room excluding tax in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) from 2016 to 2018

Domestic tourist flows in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, 2014-2016, by region

Average number of domestic tourist arrivals and departures in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur between 2014 and 2016, by region (in millions)

Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in PACA, France 2019, by department

Airbnb contribution to tourist taxes in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) in 2019, by department and city (in 1,000 euros)

Number of cruise passengers calling at Marseille 2013-2018

Number of cruise passengers calling at the port of Marseille between 2013 and 2018

Number of cruise passengers calling on the French Riviera 2013-2017

Number of cruise passengers calling at the French Riviera ports of Nice, Villefranche and Cannes from 2013 to 2017

• Premium Statistic Main tourist attractions in Occitanie, France, 2018
• Premium Statistic Investments in the tourism sector in Occitanie, France 2018, by department
• Premium Statistic Share of employment in the tourism sector in Occitanie, France 2018, by area
• Premium Statistic Share of overnight stays in Occitanie, France 2018, by area
• Premium Statistic Domestic and international overnight stays at hotels in Occitanie, France 2018
• Premium Statistic Overnight stays at hotels on the Occitanie coast in France 2018
• Premium Statistic Domestic tourist flows in Occitanie, France, 2014-2016, by region
• Premium Statistic Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in Occitanie, France 2019, by area

Main tourist attractions in Occitanie, France, 2018

Ranking of the most visited tourist attractions in the French region of Occitanie in 2018, by number of visitors

Investments in the tourism sector in Occitanie, France 2018, by department

Investments in the tourism industry in the French region of Occitanie in 2018, by department (in million euros)

Share of employment in the tourism sector in Occitanie, France 2018, by area

Share of employment in the tourism industry in the French region of Occitanie in 2018, by geographical area

Share of overnight stays in Occitanie, France 2018, by area

Breakdown of overnight stays in the French region of Occitanie in 2018, by area

Domestic and international overnight stays at hotels in Occitanie, France 2018

Number of overnight stays at hotels by domestic and international tourists in the French region of Occitanie in 2018

Overnight stays at hotels on the Occitanie coast in France 2018

Number of overnight stays at hotels by domestic and international tourists in the coastal area of the French region of Occitanie in 2018

Domestic tourist flows in Occitanie, France, 2014-2016, by region

Average number of domestic tourist arrivals and departures in the French region of Occitanie between 2014 and 2016, by region (in millions)

Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in Occitanie, France 2019, by area

Airbnb contribution to tourist taxes in the French region of Occitanie in 2019, by department and city (in 1,000 euros)

• Premium Statistic Main tourist attractions in Grand Est, France 2018
• Premium Statistic Share of investments in tourism in Grand Est, France 2014-2016, by sector
• Premium Statistic Share of employment in tourism in Grand Est, France 2014-2016, by sector
• Premium Statistic Tourist beds in Grand Est, France 2018, by destination
• Premium Statistic Overnight stays in hotels in Grand Est, France 2018, by origin
• Premium Statistic Revenue per room available excluding taxes in Grand Est, France 2018, by destination
• Premium Statistic Overnight stays in camping sites in Grand Est, France 2018, by origin
• Premium Statistic Domestic tourist flows in Grand-Est, France, 2014-2016, by region
• Premium Statistic Overnight stays in Airbnb in Grand Est, France 2018, by city
• Premium Statistic Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in Grand-Est, France 2019, by city

Main tourist attractions in Grand Est, France 2018

Ranking of the most visited tourist attractions in the French region of Grand Est in 2018, by number of visitors*

Share of investments in tourism in Grand Est, France 2014-2016, by sector

Breakdown of investments in the tourism industry in the French region of Grand Est between 2014 and 2016, by sector

Share of employment in tourism in Grand Est, France 2014-2016, by sector

Breakdown of employment in the tourism industry in the French region of Grand Est between 2014 and 2016, by sector

Tourist beds in Grand Est, France 2018, by destination

Breakdown of tourist beds in the French region of Grand Est in 2018, by destination

Overnight stays in hotels in Grand Est, France 2018, by origin

Number of overnight stays in hotels in the French region of Grand Est in 2018, by origin (in millions)

Revenue per room available excluding taxes in Grand Est, France 2018, by destination

Revenue per available room (RevPar) excluding taxes for hotels in the French region of Grand Est in 2018, by destination (in euros)*

Overnight stays in camping sites in Grand Est, France 2018, by origin

Number of overnight stays in camping sites in the French region of Grand Est in 2018, by origin (in millions)

Domestic tourist flows in Grand-Est, France, 2014-2016, by region

Average number of domestic tourist arrivals and departures in the French region of Grand-Est between 2014 and 2016, by region (in millions)

Overnight stays in Airbnb in Grand Est, France 2018, by city

Number of overnight stays in Airbnb in the French region of Grand Est in 2018, by city

Airbnb tourist taxes contribution in Grand-Est, France 2019, by city

Airbnb contribution to tourist taxes in the French region of Grand-Est in 2019, by city (in 1,000 euros)

Overseas France

• Premium Statistic Frequency of overseas regions of France according to French people 2017
• Premium Statistic Number of hotel rooms in Overseas France 2021, by region
• Basic Statistic Number of tourist arrivals in hotels in Overseas France 2017, by region
• Premium Statistic Overnight stays of foreign tourists in hotels in Overseas France 2017, by region
• Premium Statistic Overnight stays of French tourists in hotels in overseas France 2017, by region
• Premium Statistic Number of foreign visitor arrivals in Guadeloupe 2008-2018, by type
• Premium Statistic Inbound tourism volume in Martinique 2010-2021, by type
• Premium Statistic Monthly tourist visit in La Reunion 2016
• Premium Statistic Number of travel accommodations in French Guiana 2018, by type

Frequency of overseas regions of France according to French people 2017

Which French overseas destinations have you visited?

Number of hotel rooms in Overseas France 2021, by region

Number of hotel rooms in Overseas France in 2021, by region

Number of tourist arrivals in hotels in Overseas France 2017, by region

Total number of tourist arrivals in hotels in Overseas France in 2017, by region (in 1,000s)

Overnight stays of foreign tourists in hotels in Overseas France 2017, by region

Average length of stay by foreign tourists in hotels in Overseas France in 2017, by region (in nights)

Overnight stays of French tourists in hotels in overseas France 2017, by region

Average length of stay by French tourists in hotels in overseas France in 2017, by region (in nights)

Number of international tourist arrivals in Guadeloupe from 2008 to 2018, by type (in 1,000s)

Number of international tourist arrivals in Martinique, France from 2010 to 2021, by type (in 1,000s)

Monthly tourist visit in La Reunion 2016

Number of tourists coming to Reunion Island in 2016, by month

Number of travel accommodations in French Guiana 2018, by type

Number of travel accommodations in French Guiana as of January 2018, by type of accommodation

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How and When Did Tourism Start?

Most of us love to travel and when we think about travelling, what we probably have in mind are the best two or three weeks of the year. Tourism has become a major industry and it creates around 100 million jobs worldwide.

Achim Riemann

In 1854, the first travel agency opened. In 1869, one of the first group tours was launched. It included attendance at the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt.

But how did it all start?

A long time ago, people initially moved around for practical reasons, such as looking for food or water, or fleeing natural disasters or enemies. But as early as ancient Egypt and in the other “high” cultures found throughout the continents at the time, people started to travel for religious reasons. They set out on pilgrimages, for example to Mecca, or on journeys to take a ritual bath in the Ganges River. That was the beginning of tourism.

What about modern tourism?

Modern tourism can be traced back to the so-called “Grand Tour”, which was an educational journey across Europe. One of the first who embarked on this journey was the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, also known as Wladislaus Sigismundus, Prince of Poland and Sweden. And yes, the grand tour was just for the super-rich. In 1624, Wladyslaw travelled to Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic. (1)

Poor or even normal people had neither the money nor the time to go on a holiday. However, that started to change at the end of the 19th century. Around 1880, employees in Europe and North America were granted their first work-free days besides Sundays and the mostly Christian holidays, such as Easter or Christmas. These extra work-free days were usually unpaid in the beginning. Since most people couldn’t spare the money for travel, this led to excursions into the surroundings rather than travelling.

The founders of international “tourism” in Europe were the British

Thomas Cook is considered the founder of what is known as organized “package” holidays. In the last decades of the 19th century, the upper social classes in England were so wealthy due to the income from the British Empire that they were the first to be able to afford trips to far-flung areas. (1)

In 1854, the first travel agency opened. In 1869, one of the first group tours was launched. It included attendance at the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt. From 1889, people took holiday cruises on steamships with musical performances. Seaside holidays became really popular around 1900 (and continue to be popular to this today). From the 1970s onwards, many in the industrialised countries could finally afford a holiday trip. The first criticism over this arose at the beginning of the 1970s: due to tourism, there were as many tourists in Spain in 1973 as there were inhabitants. (2)

In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, 1.5 billion tourist arrivals were recorded around the world, a 4% increase compared to 2018's figures. The most visited countries in 2019 were France with 89 million tourists, followed by Spain with 83 million tourists and the United States with 80 million tourists. China and Italy sit at fourth and fifth places, respectively, with 63 million tourists in China and 62 million tourists in Italy. (3)

And what are the most visited tourist attractions worldwide? According to a recent research from TripAdvisor, these are the top five: the Colosseum (Italy), the Louvre (France), the Vatican, the Statue of Liberty (USA), the Eiffel Tower (France) (4).

• Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourismus , 12.03.2022
• Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massentourismus , 12.03.2022
• TravelBook: https://www.travelbook.de/ziele/laender/die-meistbereisten-laender-der-welt
• Travel Wanderlust: https://www.travelwanderlust.co/articles/most-visited-tourist-attractions-in-the-world/  12.03.2022

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Saturday, May 18, 2024 11:05 am (Paris)

In France, tourism renews itself post-pandemic

In 2022, the French tourism industry revealed preferences for more local and outdoor activities, while international travelers returned even as hotel prices sharply increased.

By  Jessica Gourdon

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After two years of pandemic that turned the sector upside down, French tourism returned to normal in 2022. The recovery was confirmed, even though the main statistics observed at the national level (number of visitors, hotel room occupancy rate, number of passengers in airports, etc.) remain lower than those observed in 2019. Revenue from tourism is estimated to have reached €50 billion in 2022.

Among the big winners of the year were campsites. During the summer, they reached a record attendance (up 7.5% compared to 2019), amid a desire for nature revitalized by the lockdowns, and the necessities imposed by tighter budgets. Local tourism is also improving. The "open-air hotel industry" is also attracting a new clientele as it goes upmarket, with more and more brick-and-mortar accommodations, and ever more colossal swimming pools.

Amusement parks, another form of local tourism, were also a hit throughout the year. In the Paris region, Aventure Floréval and Winnoland have seen visitor numbers increase by 27% and 29% respectively compared to 2019, according to the regional tourism committee (CRT). Southwest of Paris, the pandas of the Beauval Zoo have never been observed by so many people. The site and its hotels welcomed 2 million visitors in 2022 (up 25% compared to 2019).

International customers

The leisure parks belonging to the Compagnie des Alpes (Parc Astérix, Futuroscope, etc.) also recorded an exceptional performance with 10 million visitors – 6% more than before the pandemic. The Compagnie des Alpes noted that even though ticket prices had increased significantly, tourists were still spending more than usual during their visit (in hotels, stores, restaurants, etc.)

Conversely, the main Parisian tourist sites became less crowded in 2022, particularly due to the absence of Asian customers. The Louvre Museum counted 20% fewer visitors compared to 2019. Versailles sold 17% fewer tickets. With one third fewer pilgrims than before the pandemic, Lourdes is breathing easy. But in the city, many hotel establishments are struggling.

Nationally, hotel occupancy rates have not returned to their 2019 levels (down 4.4 points, according to the annual review by the consultancy MKG). It must be said that room prices have increased significantly (14 % since 2019), faster than inflation. Luxury hotels hold the prize for the highest rate increases (a rise of 23%), driven by a clientele that isn't very price sensitive. In this sector, revenue per room has soared. New projects are proliferating.

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