France is enjoying a huge boom in tourist numbers and is set to keep its pole position as the world’s most popular destination for international visitors this year.
What’s more, it is poised to remain the most visited country in 2025, attracting more than 93 million international travellers.
The growth in tourism is largely being fuelled by a big surge in visitors from America.
However, one destination in particular has urged visitors to stay away this summer, as it battles problems of overtourism.
Saint-Tropez is a coastal town on the French Riviera, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France.
It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, getting more than 80,000 visitors per day between July and August.
Long popular with artists, the town attracted the international “jet set” in the 1960s, and remains famous for its beaches and nightlife.
Originally a simple fishermen’s village, Saint-Tropez rose to worldwide fame in the 1950s, when wealthy clients first anchored their yachts in the little port.
Set in the heart of the old quarter under the town’s distinctive orange and ochre church bell tower, the port is lined with charming old houses painted in pastel colours.
Erected in the early 17th century, the Citadel stands guard over the town from its rock.
The mayor of the former fishing village, Sylvie Siri, has launched a campaign called Secret St-Tropez, which is aimed at encouraging tourists to visit out-of-season
“Don’t come in the summer,” she told the BBC, “Come in spring when it’s like the St-Tropez of our childhoods.”
One advantage of visiting off season is the opportunity to experience the town as it once was.
“If you come in summer you’ll see the sun, the restaurants, the beach clubs… but that’s it,” said Frédérique Chagnon-Lecomte, a local tour guide.
“We’re happy during the summer when it’s crowded but we also love wintertime [when] we can have our village back.”
The mayor also wants to ensure that there is life outside of tourism and is investing in better local services and public spaces for the 4,000 inhabitants.
She plans to invest in a better library, grocery shops and affordable accommodation.