France

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) was suspended on 16 March 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic until the start of 2021. The ONS have made every effort to produce high-quality estimates for the periods when IPS data is not being collected but have not been able to produce a full set of results. See the 2020 inbound page for more information.

The 2021 data is ‘incomplete’ as Eurotunnel data was unavailable for the entire year. In addition, interviewing at Dover restarted from Q3 2021 and pseudo records for the Irish land border were also removed in 2021. More info can be found on the 2021 inbound page.

For 2022, Eurotunnel data was also unavailable for the first half of the year. Interviewing at Eurostar was not affected by Covid-19 restrictions in 2021 or the first half of 2022. The ONS restarted IPS interviews at all ports from July 2022. The latest data can be found on the monthly and quarterly pages.

Due to the above, the latest full year IPS data below is from 2019.

Visitor characteristics

Most trips are by those aged 25-44, but the cohort of 45-54
Almost three-in-five holiday visitors from France (excluding British nationals) are making a repeat trip to Britain (within ten years)
30% of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) visitors from France are British nationals
98% of departing visitors (excluding British nationals) are ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend a visit to Britain

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Sightseeing of Famous Buildings/ Monuments

Went Shopping

Global context


Measure	2019
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)	50.5
Global rank for international tourism expenditure	5
Number of outbound visits (m)	55.8
Most visited destination	Spain

Key demographic and economic data


Measure	2022
Population (m)	67.9
GDP per capita PPP (US$)	53,996
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)	1.1
Annual GDP growth (%)	2.6

France Market Snapshot (PDF, 1.27MB)

France Market Profile (PDF, 5.23MB)

France Aviation Profile (PDF, 1.16MB)

France COVID-19 Travel Sentiment (PDF, 478KB, Published April 2022)

Find out where visitors from France to the UK reside in their own country (Excel, 176KB, Published 2019)

Read about the preferences of Europeans towards tourism (PDF, 1.65MB, Published March 2015)

Please note that the reports below have not been updated with the 2009-2018 revised IPS data. For more information, please visit about the international passenger survey

Find out what perceived barriers to going exploring beyond London for the French (PDF, 904KB, Published July 2013)

Learn more about the role culture and heritage play for French visitors (PDF, 2.37MB, Published 2014)

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.1345 EUR

As of 30 March 2023

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain from France

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Drag to change year on charts and tables.

Touch the data points to see the values.

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Number of visits

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Total expenditure (GBP)

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Total nights spent

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Average length of stay (Nights)

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Average spend per visit (GBP)

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What the French think about Britain

The French rate the UK highly for culture in general, contemporary culture, sports, vibrant cities, historic buildings, and cultural heritage, but less for welcome and scenic natural beauty; the UK was rated 23rd and 42nd out of sixty nations repectively on these two attributes in 2022
Music and museums are the cultural products or services most strongly associated with the UK among the French
Australia, Italy and the US are the destinations most likely to be seen as the ‘best place’ for delivering on factors the French most ‘want’ from a destination
Areas of strength for Britain include the ‘ease of getting around’, ‘good shopping’, ‘being somewhere to see famous sites’ and for ‘lots of history’ and to ‘watch sporting events’ while very few consider Britain as the ‘best place for ‘food and drink’
Activities that appeal to potential French visitors include ‘riding the scenic 'Hogwarts Express' (Harry Potter train) through the Scottish Highlands', 'taking a canal boat tour through the waterways of England', 'spotting wildlife in the Scottish Highlands', 'going on a food tour of one of London's best foodie markets' and 'visiting Windsor Castle'.

Caring for visitors

The French are keen to have information provided in their own language when in Britain
They prefer to stay in mid-range accommodation including bed and breakfasts, with en-suite facilities. Country house hotels are popular in France and a good benchmark for the value for money levels expected.
Youth travellers prefer to opt for youth hostels or university accommodation as they tend to be more price-sensitive
Expectation levels for standards and services are high – any issues should be resolved promptly

The leisure & travel trade

The trade structure is quite complex and fragmented - made up of tour operators and travel agencies (online and offline), with associations and social clubs playing an important role
November-December and May-September are the main planning periods
Tour operators are mainly based in Paris

Access to Britain from France


Measure	2022
Weekly aircraft departures	629
Weekly seat capacity	108,152
Airports with direct routes in France	35
Airports with direct routes in Britain	21
Eurostar trains per day from Paris	14
Weekly ferry crossings	704
Weekly Eurotunnel Shuttles	154

Slightly more visitors reach Britain from France by plane than through the Channel Tunnel
Airline seat capacity is highly seasonal but is largely shaped by demand for travel to France by holidaying Britons
Routes with the highest capacity are those operating from Paris to London
Following the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, scheduled flight seat capacity in 2022 from France to the UK recovered to 75% of 2019 levels
French visitors flying home from Britain pay £13 in Air Passenger Duty

Markets

France