Le Grand Paris "remains the number one tourist destination in the world"

With 47 million visitors, Paris "remains the number one tourist destination in the world" ahead of London (35 million), was delighted, Tuesday, May 13, assistant to the mayor of Paris in charge of tourism, Jean-François Martins. The tourist office has released the attendance figures in 2013 including for the first time the Grand Paris, that is to say, Paris and the three departments of suburbs.
This new method of calculation has been prepared in response to a controversy dating back to January. In the countryside of Paris municipal UMP candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet resumed his account a Figaro article claiming that London had "dethroned" Paris in 2013 by becoming "the most visited city in the world." The Socialist Anne Hidalgo had then replied that he was more relevant to compare London to the Grand Paris in terms of area.

ATTENDANCE RECORD INTRAMURAL 

However, London attracted more foreign. Of the 47 million visitors to the capital in 2013, 16.6 million are foreigners, a figure slightly lower (16.8 million) of one announced last week by the UK Statistics Office (Office for National Statistics) to the capital from across the Channel.

Paris intramural established last year a new attendance record, with 29.3 million visitors, 12.1 million foreigners. "This growth in tourism in 2013 was driven by non-European customers, from distant markets, faithful as the United States (15%), or markets with high growth potential in the example of China, Australia or the Middle East markets where growth is more than 15% in 2013, "explains the tourist office in Paris.