Thriving Tourism Scene in Paris: Sunshine and Shadows Revealed
Paris Tourism in 2025: A Boom with Challenges
Paris, the city of love, continues to captivate millions of visitors worldwide. In 2025, it is expected to welcome approximately 50 million tourists, making it the most visited city globally.
The Eiffel Tower, an iconic symbol of Paris, welcomed around 6.3 million visitors in 2024. By the end of 2025, the tower will undergo a transformation, changing its colour to a bronze-gold tone. Disneyland Paris, another top tourist destination, saw 14.8 million visitors in the same year.
The Louvre Museum, the world's most visited museum, recorded 8.9 million visitors in 2024. The Musée d'Orsay, with its interactive experiences like virtual reality tours, attracted approximately 4.95 million visitors. The Palace of Versailles, with its new exhibitions like the "Bust of Louis XIV", welcomed over 8 million visitors. Notre-Dame, after its reopening in December 2024, has already welcomed more than 6 million people in the first half of 2025.
However, Paris is not just a numbers game. The tourism industry has created over 291,000 jobs in accommodation and catering in the Paris region in 2024. International tourism generated €71 billion in revenue in 2024, a 12% increase from 2023.
Yet, Paris is facing challenges due to mass tourism. Rising rents, crowded streets, and an overburdened infrastructure are some of the issues the city is grappling with. To manage these challenges, new entrance fees and measures are being introduced from June 2025. Notable changes include an entrance fee for the Place du Tertre in Montmartre, which receives more than 11 million visitors annually, and a fee for accessing the dome of the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur.
The Louvre Museum is also undergoing modernization with the project "The Louvre's New Renaissance" in 2025. The Musée d'Orsay will feature exhibitions on Christian Krohg and a retrospective of Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The Palace of Versailles will continue to attract visitors with its rich history and new exhibitions.
Despite the challenges, Paris remains a beacon for tourists, with reliable data showing that around 48.7 million visitors came to Paris in 2024, with more than half (53%) being international guests. As we look forward to the future, Paris continues to offer a unique blend of history, culture, and modern experiences that keep visitors coming back.
However, it's important to note that current information does not provide exact tourism projections for Paris in 2026 or 2027. While it is expected that the number of tourists will continue to be high, specific forecasts are not available at this time.
In conclusion, Paris continues to thrive as a global tourist destination, offering a rich tapestry of experiences for visitors from around the world. Despite the challenges posed by mass tourism, the city is implementing innovative measures to manage crowds and preserve its unique charm for future generations.
