France wants to revive tourism industry with 1.9 billion euros
France wants to revive its tourism industry, which was badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with 1.9 billion euros (2.14 billion dollars).
The country wants to invest in innovation, digitalization and sustainability, among other things, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Saturday in the Loire town of Amboise, according to Deutsche press agency (dpa).
The aim is to consolidate France's position as the world's leading tourist destination by 2030.
The 10-year plan also provides several hundred million euros in aid for travel and event agencies.
In the pandemic year of 2020, he said, only 40 million tourists came to France, compared to 50 million so far this year. That is half as many as in 2019, Castex continued in his speech.
The tourism sector accounted for 8 percent of the gross domestic product before the pandemic.