The number of foreign visitors to France in 2013 rose by 2.0 percent to 84.7 million from 83.0 million in 2012, a new record for this country but a lower increase than the 5.0 percent hike in foreign tourists to Europe in the same period.
The Tourism Ministry said in a statement that these are "positive figures overall and confirm that France...is a very attractive tourist destination." Asians are among the fastest-growing group coming for tourism to France, with the number of Asian tourists here between 2012 and 2013 increasing by 12.9 percent.
The statement said that France hopes to have two billion tourists in total coming here between now and 2030 and is setting a target of 100 million tourists per year in the coming two or three years.