Paris, April 7, 2026 – On April 7 in Paris, a landmark study evaluating the economic impact of experiential tourism in France was presented by researchers Francesca Cominelli and Guido Guerzoni. Commissioned by GetYourGuide, the global travel experiences platform, the report highlights a structural transformation within the sector: experiences are establishing themselves as a key driver of tourism, with value progressively moving away from major traditional destinations.
“Tourism in France is entering a new phase: growth no longer comes solely from volumes, but from the value created by experiences, often outside of major metropolises,” explains Cécile Lavarenne, Regional Manager GetYourGuide France.
Key Economic Impacts & Trends
The study reveals that in 2025, the spending of international travelers who booked via GetYourGuide generated a total economic impact of €5.6 billion in France. Each euro spent locally generates €1.75 of value in the national economy, factoring in direct, indirect, and induced effects.
At the heart of this dynamic is a segment of high-value-added travelers. These visitors spend an average of €455 per day—up to four times the national average—and stay longer, with an average duration of more than six days. Their behavior confirms a structural evolution of tourism towards more immersive, cultural, and local experiences. Adventure Tours, Shows and Events, and Workshops recorded a significant surge in popularity, with bookings increasing by more than 40% between 2024 and 2025. Walking Tours in the same time more than doubled the bookings.
A New Geography of French Tourism
This transformation is particularly evident in the geography of spending. Paris concentrates the majority of bookings, but ranks only sixth in terms of average value per transaction. This discrepancy illustrates a key economic reality: major destinations capture the volumes, while value is increasingly created in secondary regions.
Bookings thus cover 90% of French departments, illustrating a distribution of economic benefits across the entire country. The highest spending is observed in smaller destinations, such as Bayeux, famous for its tapestry, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, a town near Omaha Beach in Normandy, or Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, an iconic mountain destination, confirming the potential of less-frequented areas.
Experiences directly influence tourist flows. More than a quarter of travelers report that a GetYourGuide activity was a decisive factor in their choice of destination, while nearly one in four modified or extended their stay because of these offerings. In a context where tourism represents about 8% of the French GDP, these results underscore the strategic role of experiences in value creation, visitor distribution, and regional development.
This study is based on the analysis of nearly 2.9 million GetYourGuide bookings made in France between 2024 and 2025, complemented by a survey of 1,700 international travelers. The economic impact was estimated using an Input-Output model based on data from INSEE and Eurostat, measuring the direct, indirect, and induced effects of tourism spending on the French economy.
About the Researchers
Francesca Cominelli is a Director at IREST (Institut de Recherche et d'Études Supérieures du Tourisme) at Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris and a maîtresse de conférences (associate professor) in economic sciences. Her research and publications focus on tourism economics and its impacts, with particular attention to new cultures of urban tourism and to heritage tourism.
Guido Guerzoni is an adjunct professor at Bocconi University and a researcher in Economic History who teaches at SDA Bocconi, focusing on heritage, museums, and cultural policy. For around three decades he has worked on art economics, the management of cultural institutions, and culture-led urban regeneration projects. He contributes regularly to Il Sole 24 Ore and Il Giornale dell’Arte.
Downloads
Download the full report in French or in English on this page.
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