Darias PR Collective

France continues to be one of the top tourist locations in the world. Its romantic atmosphere and city scenery have made it a hot spot for couples. It has one of the most famous man-made landmarks, the Eiffel Tower. Cities like Paris are some of the most popular proposal destinations globally and have been for years. Just about everyone you know has a hankering to see this specific country, whether with their significant other or just to check out the location.

Although I was curious about the kinds of public relations strategies they might use to promote tourism toward their audiences, what I found was pretty interesting. They have one method in particular that really highlights what I believe every popular tourist destination should focus on: the country’s heritage.

Atout France is the official French National Tourism Development Agency responsible for promoting France as a destination worldwide and developing its tourism industry. “In 2025, Atout France will continue to pursue its ambition of positioning France as the leading destination for sustainable tourism by 2030.”

One specific event that led to even more tourist growth was the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. It was a huge success for the country, with around 5 billion+ people tuning in as a global audience for the opening ceremony or just the games themselves. Besides the games, they took this opportunity to show off France’s urban fascinations, like the Eiffel Tower and other historic sites. The Games generated record-breaking digital engagement across all platforms.

As Atout France was going into the year 2025, the company focused on three main priorities which you can find on their website: to continue and strengthen initiatives, to build on achievements, and to strengthen investment and performance. 

They wanted to use the Olympic Games as a way to continue to promote tourist locations and enhance their competitive tourism offerings through the beauty of the destination. They mentioned how they are continuing to promote French tourism in a “responsible, inclusive and innovative manner.” They also explained their upcoming plans on navigating how to compete with other tourist destinations that continue to grow in popularity.

So how does Atout France track and observe tourism trends throughout its work? Through monthly economic reports analyzing the tourism sector, semiannual reviews of ongoing tourism business, newsletters documenting the worldwide industry and surveys on the travel intentions of domestic and international consumers, Atout also uses thematic studies.

Last year, using they’re data, the agency was able to estimate 102 billion in international arrivals, 77.5 billion in terms of international spending, and 18.7 billion in tourism investments. This economic data is prominent for future endeavors and helps shape what the agency should be focusing on, and I wonder what other key data insights they used to navigate French tourism.

In 2025, there were, in fact, approximately 102+ million visitors who came to see the sights of France, experiencing the culture and the country’s atmosphere, maybe for a romantic getaway, to see the city where the Olympic Games took place, or just for an abroad getaway. I am curious to see what upcoming trends and strategies will be on the way as we make our way into 2026.

About the Author

Hi there, I’m Daria, a public relations student at the University of Oregon, columnist and passionate traveler. I’ve worked in Tokyo’s media industry creating and strategising content for international audiences, with a love for how travel shapes communication and storytelling.