Tourist attendance in Toulouse boosted in December by the Lantern Festival and the Spaniards
The month of December was rather good for tourism in Toulouse in 2021. The tourist office of the metropolis draws up a first assessment this Tuesday, January 11.
He noted a significant return of Spanish tourists to the pink city, very numerous from the first weekend of December. The Spaniards enjoyed an extended long weekend between December 6 and 8. They have almost 40% of the visitors received at the tourist office of the Capitol during the school holidays.
A month of December boosted by the Lantern Festival
Attraction of the end of the year in the region, the Lantern Festival has received since December 1 more than 200,000 visitors. At least 100,000 more are expected within weeks. The Ritouret park was full during the Christmas holidays when 70% of entries were recorded. On average, 6,200 visitors come to admire Chinese sculptures every evening.
The event also benefits hoteliers according to the tourist office. The first half of December was more buoyant in terms of turnover, thanks to the return of Spanish tourists and the launch of the festival.
Toulouse museums acclaimed during the holidays
Toulouse museums also benefited from this dynamism in December. Nearly 14,000 visitors went to Les Jacobins and 7,500 discovered the retrospective dedicated to Toulouse photographer Jean Dieuzaide.
At the Cité de l’Espace, nearly 17,000 visitors were welcomed during the Christmas holidays, a level of attendance similar to 2019. Attendance stable also at the Natural History Museum, with 12,500 visits recorded during the holidays. At the Abattoirs, nearly 10,000 people are there to admire the “Lady of the Unicorn” tapestry, an exhibition event at the end of the year.
Families who also went in large numbers to the Halle de la Machine. 14,000 tourists were able to discover the Minotaur and the funny inventions of the Machine Company in Montaudran.