Tourism is a strategic sector at a national level in France. The country is actually the leading destination worldwide, with over 83 million international tourists per year- before the United States of America and Spain. Tourism is also a sector of major importance for the Hérault department, which benefits from an attractive back-country area and an extensive seaside zone. The Hérault department is France’s leading department in terms of the number of overnight stays at open-air accommodations, and ranks second nationwide when comparing the total number of overnight stays for French tourists. The department is the 4th leading tourist destination in France.
The Montpellier Métropole area plays a major role, especially with respect to business tourism. Montpellier is the 6th leading city for conferences in France, hosting 475 events annually, including 237 conferences. In 2014, these events welcomed 1,205,016 participants, 603,611 of whom were conference attendees. Business tourism generates an economic impact of over 175 million euros.
The local airport is also a key factor for tourism, with 1,279,726 passengers transiting through Montpellier in 2015, up 3.6% from the previous year.
In addition, the territory offers many very popular sites, including the Lunaret Zoo and Amazonian greenhouse (720,860 visitors in 2014), Mare Nostrum Aquarium (312,500 visitors), and Fabre museum (216,819 visitors).
Last but not least, local festivals attract a large number of people too, from the International Guitar Festival to the Radio France Music Festival (over 90,000 attendees), Cinemed, Montpellier Danse Festival, and the Printemps des Comédiens theater festival. Two additional events contribute to Montpellier’s positive image for tourists: the Fise event (International Festival of Extreme Sports), with some 100,000 visitors; and “I Love Techno”, with its 20,000 paid entries.
Find out more:
- Living- Lunaret Zoo- Mare Nostrum Aquarium- Fabre museum- Cathédrale de Maguelone- Carré Saint Anne- Cathédrale Saint Pierre- Internationales de la Guitare- Festival Radio France- Cinemed- Montpellier Danse- Printemps des Comédiens- Fise - I Love Techno
