Fresh data from the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau show things quieted down a bit in early autumn 2025. We saw a noticeable dip during the All Saints’ Day break, but don’t let the softer numbers fool you. The outlook for the rest of the year remains solid, with hotel bookings for late November and early December already picking up steam just in time for the festive season.
October: A Gentle Slowdown
During the first half of October 2025, the crowds thinned out a little compared to the record breaking highs of 2024:
- Domestic visitors dropped 3.3% compared to 2024 (though still sitting 2.9% higher than 2023).
- International visitors dipped 4.6% compared to 2024 (and down 1.1% from 2023).
Flights into Paris dropped more sharply in October (around 10.9%). We saw fewer travelers from neighbors like the UK, Italy, and Germany, as well as the US. On the flip side, long haul travel is recovering nicely, with big jumps in tourist numbers from China, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
All Saints’ Day Holidays: Calendar Effect Hits Hard
The Toussaint school holidays felt the pinch, with overall attendance dropping 8.4% compared to the year before. International visitors were particularly quiet during this stretch. The main culprit? November 1st landed on a Saturday in 2025. That wiped out the usual “bridge” weekend that typically tempts people to take a few extra days off. Even with that decline, the tourist numbers were still 5.9% higher than in 2023.
End of Year Outlook: Stability Turning into Growth
Despite a quieter autumn, the signs for the final stretch of 2025 are looking good.
Air arrivals (December 2025 to February 2026):
- Forecasts show things holding steady with a slight 0.2% increase overall.
- Fewer bookings from South Korea (down 16.6%), Portugal (down 21.1%), and the US (down 1.9%).
- However, there is strong growth from China (up 27%), along with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Japan (rising between 13% and 25%).
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Hotel occupancy trends
- Late November and early December are up 6.2% overall compared to 2024.
- The first few days of December are particularly busy (up 13.7%) thanks to major trade shows and conferences.
- Christmas week bookings are currently trailing a bit at roughly minus 4.6%.
- New Year’s Eve is the star performer, with occupancy already at 64.6%, which is 5.2% ahead of last year.
Interestingly, areas just outside central Paris are performing well. Seine Saint Denis is up 5.1% and Val de Marne is up 4%, while central Paris hotels are seeing a slight dip of 2.6% for the same night.
A Tale of Two Seasons
This autumn slowdown is mostly just things getting back to normal after two huge post pandemic years, mixed with some unlucky calendar timing for the holidays. But the rebound we are seeing in bookings, especially around work events and New Year’s Eve, proves Paris hasn’t lost its touch.
As one tourism official put it, 2024 was an extraordinary year because of the Olympics. 2025 is simply recalibrating to a solid “new normal” that is still well above where we were before the pandemic, with plenty of growth drivers already lined up for 2026.
For now, the City of Light is gearing up for a busy run up to Christmas and a glittering finale on December 31st, confirming once again that it is still one of the world’s favorite places to end the year.