France Travel Changes and Industry Trends 2025

Travel Industry Trends and France Travel Changes

Updated Summer 2025

Each time I visit Paris and other areas of France, there are little tweaks here and there. I’ve just come back and will share what I observed and learned.

First, there is no more physical Tourist Bureau in Paris, to my disappointment. It’s nice to talk face-to-face with an employee who can give you the lowdown on the best things to see and do. It is now online,and is called Paris, Je t’aime (Paris, I love You.) https://parisjetaime.com/eng/ (II wasn’t able to hyperlink the address, but you can cut and paste it if you want.) They have a lot of information as well as some news, but it’s not quite the same as talking to a human.

A new Europe travel requirement will roll out soon, though no one really knows when! Keep reading to learn more about this change and other travel trends, or jump to later in the post to read more about the new travel authorization for European travel, including France.

Some Travel Industry Trends

Covid is a distant memory. Travel to France recovered stunningly, initially to over 4%. These days, it hovers around 2.8%. If you’ve traveled lately, you know what I mean. As an industry, travel is still growing well. Tourism contributes almost 275 billion euros to the French economy, or nearly 10%.

The summer Olympics are also in the rearview mirror. That event spurred Paris to make many positive changes in the flow of tourism, making things somewhat easier. There still is not a tram from the Charles de Gaulle airport into the city, but the faithful RER train still accomplishes that task nicely. I have reservations about the Roissybus, which took too long for me the last time, since it’s subject to traffic patterns. I currently recommend the RER, or a taxi. Taxis are also subject to traffic, so there are no guarantees you’ll get there faster. Then there’s the cost, from 50 to 60 euros one way. But it is a way to get there without having to move your bags from the train to the metro (or several metros.)

Solo travel is increasing, especially among millennials. Tour companies, blogs, and other travel-related businesses are including this growing segment in marketing and amenities. Many solo travelers join small group tours and/or adventure tours. Other interesting tour possibilities are gastronomy tours (featuring Michelin-starred restaurants), slow tourism tours, and ecology tours featuring sustainable travel (hotels and resorts focusing on sustainable amenities.)

With the explosion of remote work, many people combine overseas or other travel experiences with their online work or extend business trips. The term “digital nomad” is a part of our vocabulary now. And some folks choose to do this in attractive destinations, like the Côte d’Azur. This parallels another trend that’s gaining popularity, being a “temporary local”, to quote Rick Steves. In this scenario, you base in one place and get to know it like a resident.

Airlines

Airlines have many changes from previous years, and generally, they are not favorable to travelers.

Higher costs overall, plus itemized costs for things that used to be included, such as seats and checked bags on overseas flights. The need to pay
Bordeaux

for bags is a huge money-maker for airlines. Travelers have responded by only using a carry-on. The problem there is that the overhead compartments are jammed, and those who do pay for checked bags have nowhere to put their carry-ons.

Higher point costs for points travel, causing you to spend more points on your trip. Tip:Try comparing different days. I also had success talking with an agent who was able to get me a lower-points ticket.

Cancellations of flights. This is less common than right after Covid, but it still happens. In my experience, you can easily work out a new itinerary with an agent or online if this happens to you. When flights are cancelled due to uncontrollable circumstances, like weather, airlines aren’t obligated to pay for accommodations.

France in Particular

In France, both Covid and the Olympics are past and tourism is humming along as never before. Many changes were implemented since that time, making life easier for tourists. Not too long ago, the little paper Paris metro tickets were replaced with the much more practical travel card, the Navigo Visite. This rechargeable card is more convenient than keeping track of small metro tickets. They’re easy to recharge on the self-service machines. You can follow directions onscreen in one of several languages, place your card into a little slot, and it recharges quickly.

As of January 2025, the card covers all 5 zones, which means you don’t pay extra to visit Versailles or Disneyland. The downside is you don’t get a quantity discount, since the “carnet”, or book of 10 trips, no longer exists. The current price at the time of this post update is 2 euros 50 per trip. The metro and RER trains are covered, while you need a separate pass for trams and buses. Hopefully, they’ll combine all forms of transportation into one pass in the near future.

One way you can get an all-inclusive pass, however, is the Navigo Découverte, also known as the Navigo Semaine. I’ve promoted this little all-in-one card in my book, Magical Paris, because it’s a great deal. It runs from Monday to Sunday, is unlimited in number of trips as well as modes of transport (trams and buses included), and costs about 32 euros. You can use it for your trip to or from the airport on the RER. If you arrive mid-week, a regular pass will be more economical. This one does not, however, cover a trip to the airport. For that, you’ll need a separate ticket.

The big news is a new travel authorization which is required to visit most European countries, called the ETIAS, or Europe Travel Information and Authorization System. It was supposed to be implemented in summer 2025, but has been delayed. Be sure to consult their website before traveling to check the date.

This requirement consists of online registration (cost is 7€), and is rather simple. But you don’t want to avoid doing this if you’re traveling, once this is implemented. The authorization is valid for 3 years. There are 3 links from official E.U. websites in the following paragraphs where you can get additional information.

Here’s the lowdown on the new requirement. You’ll need to register online to enter Schengen European countries, plus a few others (30 in all). Here is a LIST of the countries that require it and the travelers’ countries as well. https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/who-should-apply_en#ETIAS-countries Sometimes the authorization takes minutes to receive, sometimes longer, so you should do it in advance if you’re traveling this year. The authorization is valid for 3 years, or until the end of your passport validity, whichever comes first. At the time of this writing, the application website is not yet active.

The purpose of this registration is to increase security in these countries. It is not a visa and doesn’t change your ability to stay in European countries for up to 90 days without a visa. Here is the only official website to learn more and to register (at this moment, info only. Registration is not open) travel-europe.europa.eu/etias

Here is a FAQ website where you can learn more https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en