Tourism: Does INSEE Contradict the Minister’s Summer Outlook?


Les voyageurs étrangers n’ont pas contribué à la croissance de la fréquentation touristique en France - Depositphotos

CroisiEurope


The alert signals were numerous regarding a drop in departures of the French this summer.

From Le Monde to Le Figaro, everyone seemed to be in agreement. Even Serge Papin had confirmed the trend, subtly noting that there had been “a slight regression in attendance in the heart of the season, in July-August.”

Yet the INSEE’s assessment of the summer tourist season 2026 tells a very different story.

While those in Bercy celebrate that foreign visitors rescued the summer, the statisticians’ verdict is that the praise must be found on the French customer, who would have spent more time… in France.

The study rests on data collected from May to August, acknowledging that for the last two months the figures “are provisional.”

Nevertheless, the attendance in French collective tourist accommodations rose by 1.1%, translating into 2.8 million additional overnight stays compared with 2025.

All establishments considered, France would have recorded 260.5 million overnight stays during this period.

Not surprisingly, it is the campsites that posted the strongest activity, with 126.5 million overnight stays, up from 125.1 million the year before. Hotels arrive in second place, with 92 million overnight stays, compared with 90.4 million in 2025.


The French travelers: attendance up by 1.6%

And, to everyone’s surprise, the French contributed fully to this positive balance.

“The resident clientele (French) confirms its strong presence in French collective tourist accommodations in 2026 and accounts for the entire 2.8 million additional overnight stays. Resident attendance rises by 1.6% compared with the 2025 season.
The resident clientele represents more than two out of three summer overnight stays in the collective tourism accommodations in 2026“, specifies INSEE.

This finding therefore runs counter to the range of voices heard over the summer.

Moreover, according to the institute, the attendance of non-resident clientele, i.e. those living abroad, “remains flat across the season and even falls in August year on year.”

If foreign travelers were somewhat more numerous in hotels, with an extra 300,000 overnight stays, they stayed away from French campsites, with 200,000 fewer overnight stays.

And INSEE explains, in contrast to the summer chatter, that “non-resident clientele” did not overall contribute “to the rise in summer tourist attendance in 2026“.


Summer 2026: foreign travelers did not contribute to attendance growth!

The foreign clientele remains very important to the tourism ecosystem.

It accounts for, for example, 39.9% of hotel overnight stays.

Among the most present nationalities, the United States lead with 5.4 million hotel overnights, followed by the United Kingdom with 4.3 million, Germany with 3.9 million, and Belgium with 2.8 million.

While Americans top the list, the uptick is less pronounced than in previous summers, at a small +0.8%.

Germans came in greater numbers or stayed longer in France, with a 3.9% rise, as did Belgians (+3.1%), Dutch (+3.0%), and Britons (+1.2%).

It should be noted that overnight stays by Spaniards (-8.5%) and Italians (-3.0%) declined sharply.

Moreover, Asian tourist groups, whose momentum had significantly picked up since the health crisis, experienced notable declines, particularly Chinese (-9.0%) and Japanese (-10.8%).


Summer 2026: The coast remains sought-after, while major cities are in the red!

Unsurprisingly, the coast was the preferred choice for summer holidays.

It recorded 106.3 million overnight stays, up 1.4%, in regions where foreign clientele venture relatively little, representing only 26.9% of attendance.

Travelers favored the Mediterranean with 46.6 million nights, up, ahead of the North Atlantic – Western Channel area with 26.4 million nights, also up, and the South Atlantic with 22.4 million nights, down.

The regions along the Channel therefore saw their attendance rise sharply, by more than 5% relative to 2025, but in volumes much smaller than the other, more popular sectors.

The mountains continue their ascent, with 45 million overnight stays, up 1.3%, still behind the sole Mediterranean.

This progression is primarily due to more travelers in other collective tourism accommodations rather than in hotels and campsites.

Finally, major cities were generally shunned. Overnight stays there fell by 2.5 million amounts, i.e. −3.9%.

A red figure explained in particular by a marked decline in foreign clientele, −7.7%, especially in hotels.

In the same period, rural areas show strong vitality, with an increase of 3.2%.

The summer dynamic would also be sustained by business tourism, as overnight stays rise by 7.6% in 2026 across all collective tourism accommodations, excluding campsites, even if their total remains well below 2019.

So forget everything you thought you knew about the season’s results and forecasts. The summer was indeed carried by the French, while foreign clientele did not boost our sector at all.

This is prompting some observers to suggest that Spain could surpass France’s numbers as early as this year…


Insee Focus n°387 – Saison touristique d’été 2026 (mai à août)

Été 2026 : 260,5 millions de nuitées dans les hébergements collectifs

La fréquentation des hôtels, campings et autres hébergements collectifs de tourisme progresse de nouveau en France, malgré un repli sur la façade Sud Atlantique. Données 2026 provisoires.

Évolution de la fréquentation selon les espaces touristiques

Variation des nuitées entre les étés 2025 et 2026. La fréquentation progresse partout sauf sur la façade Sud Atlantique.




Alpes Pyrénées Massif central Jura Vosges Manche Est – Mer du Nord Nord Atl. – Manche Ouest Sud Atlantique Méditerranée Hors littoral et montagne Massifs de montagne

Représentation schématique : l’Insee définit les espaces touristiques à l’échelle communale ; les façades littorales, les massifs et l’intérieur sont ici figurés de manière indicative. Les façades détaillées ne couvrent pas la totalité du littoral (« dont » dans la source : 104,8 M sur 106,3 M en 2026). Le rattachement de la Corse à la façade méditerranéenne n’est pas précisé dans les données. Variations calculées à partir des données arrondies en millions de nuitées.




Source : Insee

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Amara Nambinga

Amara Nambinga

I write about tourism, culture, and emerging destinations with a Namibian perspective. Through my articles, I try to highlight the places, people, and travel stories that show how Africa and the wider world are changing.