The Alliance France Tourisme published on 20 August 2026 (download the study) its first summer trends for French hotels, tourist residences and holiday villages. According to the think tank, which brings together the sector’s leading companies, the season is being reshaped by three converging forces: record heat shifting demand towards the Channel coast and the mountains, purchasing-power trade-offs pushing some trips into June and September, and an upmarket segment, driven by international clientele, that continues to push prices upward.
A season opener carried by Paris and major events
In June, French hotels posted an occupancy rate of 79.1%, up 1.3 points on 2025, with revenue per available room (RevPAR) up 3.7%. July confirmed this momentum with occupancy up 0.9 points and RevPAR up 3.3%, even as the month, with an average temperature of 24.9°C, became the hottest ever recorded in France.
Paris retained its role as the national driving force, with occupancy of 90% in June and 84.6% in July, up 1.5 points. The Esports World Cup, relocated to Paris this summer, supported this performance: Parisian hotels topped 85% occupancy from the tournament’s opening week, and the 15th arrondissement, which hosted the event, gained 4.3 occupancy points and more than 10% RevPAR growth in July.
A cautious mid-August, amid geopolitics, prices and wildfires
The heart of the season saw a pause. From 1 to 17 August, the occupancy rate stood at 72.5%, down 0.7 points on 2025, with RevPAR down 1.5%. Declared on 22 July and brought under control in early August, the Gironde wildfire, which burned around 42,000 hectares, weighed on August stays through cancellations: after a resilient July, the département lost 10 occupancy points, while neighbouring areas held steady.
The traditional wave of last-minute bookings did not fully materialise, amid renewed tensions over Iran since early July, which reinforced a wait-and-see approach among Gulf clientele, and historically high peak-season prices. The trend is observed nationwide, across all categories and regions, though levels remain high in absolute terms.
Brittany, the Northern Alps, the Côte d’Azur: the season’s new engines
One of the season’s key takeaways is the broadening of France’s tourist map. Brittany established itself as the leading summer alternative, with occupancy up 1.6 points in August, RevPAR up 6.1% on 2025 and 19% on 2024, a dynamic that extends beyond its coastline alone, which exceeded 90% occupancy at the height of summer. The Northern Alps, meanwhile, reinforced their status as a bi-seasonal destination, with RevPAR up 22% versus 2025 in June.
The Côte d’Azur remained the safe bet and international showcase of the French destination: the eastern Mediterranean posted RevPAR up 12% versus 2025 and 30% versus 2024 in June, and exceeded 90% occupancy at the height of summer. Across the country, the upmarket and luxury segments continued to drive activity, with RevPAR up 4.4% in June and 5.1% in July, without overshadowing other segments, all of which were also growing.
The Channel coast: the summer’s strongest growth
In a July marked by record heat, the Channel coast, from Le Havre to the Côte d’Opale, posted the strongest growth of all French coastlines: occupancy up 4.5 points year-on-year and nearly 10 points over two years. The rise accelerated from mid-July onwards, benefited particularly accessible and temperate destinations, and continued into August, exceeding 90% occupancy. It also spread inland, with the whole of Normandy gaining 2.6 points over the month.
This timeline suggests a shift in some demand, driven by the combined effect of weather conditions, budget trade-offs and a search for closer-to-home stays. The movement has come with localised upmarket growth: Le Touquet increased its revenue per room by around a quarter year-on-year, while Deauville, where the Barrière Le Normandy remains one of the flagship properties of the Côte Fleurie, Cabourg, Trouville-sur-Mer and Ouistreham all performed particularly well, with revenue per room up more than 10% versus 2025 in July.
Bookings pointing to a strong end to the season
Bookings, running ahead of last year at the same date, confirm the shift of demand towards the shoulders of the season, driven by clientele with flexible calendars who are travelling in June or September to recover purchasing power. The second half of August is running above last year, with occupancy gains of 2 to 5 points depending on the day. September looks set to match 2025 levels or slightly exceed them, with a lead of 2 to 6 points in the last week of the month, even before most bookings are in.
Despite the air pocket of the first half of August, the June-September season is thus heading towards a positive result, on a par with the two excellent preceding summers. France, whose government confirmed it welcomed 102 million international visitors in 2025, is continuing to consolidate its tourism appeal.
Southern Europe consolidates its status as a safe-haven destination
Against an unstable geopolitical backdrop, international clientele are favouring Europe, with its southern flank the chief beneficiary. Spain exceeded 82% occupancy in both June and July and began August with a sharp rise of 3.2 points, confirming that the competitiveness gap between Europe’s two leading destinations widens every year. Germany returned to growth, with RevPAR up 7.2% in June, while Italy lost momentum. France remains, alongside Spain, one of the two main engines of European tourism.
Summer 2026 thus confirms two underlying trends: the spread of visitor numbers into the shoulder seasons and the broadening of the destination map. France has never had so many tourism engines running at once, a situation that Alliance France Tourisme is urging industry players and public authorities to support.
Highlights of summer 2026
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Metz, scheduled for 28 September, is already filling hotels: more than eight rooms in ten are booked for the night of his visit, six weeks ahead of the date. The Monaco Grand Prix, held on 7 June rather than late May, shifted its hotel peak into June: between Menton and Monaco, prices rose by nearly two-thirds year-on-year, with occupancy stable. Dunkirk, meanwhile, was fully booked, with more than nine rooms in ten occupied from 1 to 17 August, up more than 8 points year-on-year, confirming the Northern coast’s establishment among summer destinations.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
France’s summer 2026 hotel season, by the numbers
June occupancy reached 79.1% (+1.3pt YoY), with RevPAR up 3.7%; July confirmed the trend (+0.9pt occupancy, +3.3% RevPAR)
Early-to-mid August softened (Aug 1-17: 72.5% occupancy, -0.7pt YoY) amid the Gironde wildfire and Gulf clientele caution over Iran tensions
The English Channel coast posted the strongest coastal growth of the summer: +4.5pt occupancy YoY, nearing +10pt over two years
Brittany emerged as the top alternative destination, with RevPAR up 6.1% YoY and 19% vs 2024
Late-August and September bookings run ahead of 2025, pointing to a positive June-September season overall
Spain and France remain Europe’s two leading summer tourism markets, both benefiting from Southern Europe’s “safe haven” status
