Cold shower for French tourism as August Paris’s rainiest month this year

August has been the rainiest month of this year in Paris and the rest of France has also suffered from unseasonal downpours, costing the country’s tourist industry as much as 800 million euros.

This year's Tour de France had to battle rain in July Reuters/Jacky Naegelen

More rain fell on Paris than in any other month this year, according to weather TV channel la Chaîne Météo.

Not that the rest of the year has been dry – since January 85 per cent of an average year’s rain had already fallen on the French capital.

For France as a whole this year’s July was the rainiest since 2000, with only the normally damp Channel coast and the southern Var area, home to the Côte d’Azur, spared rainfall that was twice as heavy than usual.

The miserable weather has been especially bad news for the tourist industry, according to experts.

Consultants Protourisme estimate resulting losses at 800 million euros, while citing consumers’ tighter budgets as a contributing factor.

Some 62 per cent of 980 companies consulted by Protourisme reported a fall in takings in July-August.

Hotels’ income fell everywhere but the south-east while restaurants reported a decline throughout the country.

Holiday-makers were not too depressed, however, according to an opinion poll by CSA, which found that 97 per cent of people asked said they had enjoyed their vacation.