According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, France has around 85 million visitors each year. That is by far the most in the world with the USA coming second with (around) 75 million and Britain with just 35 million visitors.
So how is it that a nation – not always renowned for the warmth of its welcome, and where English, the world language, is far from guaranteed to be spoken – manage to attract so many visitors.
As Henry Ford suggested, statistics can’t be relied upon. The French figures include all visitors; business, leisure and those just passing through. Given France’s geographical location, it is a nation which Europeans often have to cross to get from one country to another. For example, Calais is the main port of entry to Europe for Brits and, of course, Calais is in France.
The same applies in Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.