Like every year, the Routard guide reveals its 10 best destinations for traveling to unique and exceptional places. Before seeing the 10 places (and 9 countries) selected, a focus on tourism-related attendance in 2023 is essential. From May to August 2023, collective tourism accommodation recorded nearly 250 million overnight stays on French territory according to INSEE. Figure which confirms the great return of tourism after two years dangerously weakened by COVID-19. The score for the reference tourist year (2019) has been exceeded.
The years of pandemic have made the French want to travel and have more fun, despite inflation which was more or less close to 15% in one year in spring 2023. But to maintain their purchasing power, French people preferred to stay at home. And more particularly in Brittany, which saw higher attendance in 2023.
Less far away and less expensive, the region also has a cooler and more temperate climate in summer, ideal for enjoying without sometimes suffering from the more stifling heat in the south. If the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean have had the wind in their sails in 2023, it is also the entire leisure and entertainment industry which has benefited from the great return of French customers the previous year.
French cinemas have regained color. In 2023, 181 million tickets were sold, a significant increase of 18.9% compared to 2022. The same goes for leisure parks, Parc Astérix achieved its record season in 2023, with more than 2.8 million visitors. French leisure in the broad sense is popular, and the French are crazy about it.
To satisfy as many people as possible, the ranking of the 10 best vacation destinations in 2024 offers both destinations in France and around the world.
Take out the sunglasses and sunscreen, and get ready to discover new exceptional destinations, in our slideshow:
