France: record tourism in '07 despite strong euro

PARIS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - France attracted a record number of tourists in 2007 with no sign so far that the euro's strength has deterred visitors from outside the euro zone, the secretary of state for consumer affairs and tourism said on Thursday.

"Contrary to received ideas the strong euro has not for the moment had a negative impact," Luc Chatel told LCI television.

"France is going to set a record in 2007. It will pass the 80 million mark for visitors in 2007."

France is the world's top tourism destination and tourism accounts for about 6.3 percent of gross domestic product, according to recent data from the French Finance Ministry.

However, the share of tourism in GDP has fallen from 7.3 percent in the past decade, showing that growth in the sector has lagged the pace at which the overall economy has expanded.

Against the backdrop of a strong rise in global tourism, Chatel and Economy Minister Christine Lagarde last week launched a drive to attract more visitors to France with the aim of eventually making the country the European leader in terms of tourism receipts. (Reporting by Swaha Pattanaik, editing by Mike Peacock)