Tourism in France is holding up well, a government minister in the country has said.

Herve Novelli, a junior tourism minister, stated that the country had still had good numbers this summer compared to some neighbours in Europe, who had seen numbers fall significantly, Forbes reports.

He stated that US tourists were down because of the low value of the dollar against the euro and less Chinese had come because they were hosting the Olympics, but more holidaymakers had come from the Middle East and European visitors – including Britons – remained loyal.

"The summer of 2008 confirms in the end the solid state of French tourism and the fact that it was not very sensitive to the slowdown in the global economy," Mr Novelli stated.

Such news may encourage those seeking to buy French property for tourist rental reasons.

Figures from the Association of International Property Professionals have revealed that last year 25.4 per cent of all overseas property acquisitions by Britons were in France.

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