Tourism in France

France attracted 84,7 million foreign tourists in 2013, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world.^[1] It is third in income from tourism due to briefer visits. 20% more tourists spent less than half as much as they did in the United States.^[2]

France has 37 sites inscribed in UNESCO's World Heritage List and features cities of high cultural interest (Paris being the foremost, but also Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon, and others), beaches and seaside resorts, ski resorts, and rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquillity (green tourism). Small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage (such as Collonges-la-Rouge or Locronan) are promoted through the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (litt. "The Most Beautiful Villages of France"). The "Remarkable Gardens" label is a list of the over two hundred gardens classified by the French Ministry of Culture. This label is intended to protect and promote remarkable gardens andparks.

In 2012, travel and tourism directly contributed EUR77.7 billion to French GDP, 30% of which comes from international visitors and 70% from domestic tourism spending. The total contribution of travel and tourism represents 9.7% of GDP and supports 2.9 million jobs (10.9% of employment) in the country.^[3] Tourism contributes significantly to the balance of payments.

Paris

Main article: Tourism in Paris

See also: List of museums in Paris and List of tourist attractions in Paris

Paris, the capital city, is the third most visited city in the world.^[4] Paris has some of the world's largest and renowned museums, including the Louvre, which is themost visited art museum in the world, but also the Musée d'Orsay, mostly devoted to impressionism, and Beaubourg, dedicated to Contemporary art. Paris hosts some of the world's most recognizable landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, which is the most-visited paid monument in the world,^[5] the Arc de Triomphe, thecathedral of Notre-Dame or the Sacré-Cœur. The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the biggest science museum in Europe.^[6] Located in Parc de la Villette inParis, France, it is at the heart of the Cultural Center of Science, Technology and Industry (CCSTI), a center promoting science and science culture. Near Paris is thePalace of Versailles, the former palace of the kings of France, now a museum.

French Riviera

Main article: Côte d'Azur

With more than 10 million tourists a year, the French Riviera (or Côte d'Azur), in south-eastern France, is the second leading tourist destination in the country, after the Parisian region.^[7] According to the Côte d'Azur Economic Development Agency, it benefits from 300 days of sunshine per year, 115 kilometres (71 mi) of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses, 14 ski resorts and 3,000 restaurants.^[8] Each year the Côte d'Azur hosts 50% of the world's superyacht fleet, with 90% of all superyachts visiting the region's coast at least once in their lifetime.

Provence

Main article: Provence

A large part of Provence is designed as the 2013 European Capital of Culture. Numerous of famous natural sites can be found in the region, as the Gorges du Verdon, the regional natural park of Camargue, the national park of calanques and the typical landscape of Luberon. Provence hosts dozens of renown historical sites like the Pont du Gard, the Arles' Roman Monuments or the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Several cities also attracts a lot of tourists, like Aix-en-Provence, Marseille orCassis, on the Mediterranean Sea coastline.

Other parts of France

In the eastern parts of France there are skiing resorts in the Alps.

Tourists also travel to see the annual cycle race, the Tour de France.

France's Mediterranean beaches on the French Riviera, in Languedoc-Roussillon, or in Corsica, are famous. Away from the mainland tourists are French Polynesia (especially Tahiti), the Caribbean islands Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin andSaint Barthélemy.

The Route Napoléon, the route taken by Napoléon in 1815 upon his return from exile, leads from Golfe-Juan to Grenoble in south-eastern France. It is a scenic byway and a popular destination.^[16]

Also popular are the memorials to the battles of the First and Second World Wars. Memorials to the former include theMemorial to the Missing of the Somme, while commemorations to the latter include a D-Day museum at Arromanches, one of the landing sites.

There are too a lot of great naturals sites, with important flora collections. For example, the federal Arboretum de Pézaningather one of the richest forest collection in France, or the Regionals natural Park, which are dispersed in all the territories.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_France