Research on tourism in urban areas is becoming increasingly popular but analyses of demand have frequently been limited by the paucity of appropriate data available. Recognizing the multifunctional character of cities and the multidimensional nature of urban tourism, this article draws on the wide range of secondary sources now becoming available to Paris to illustrate and evaluate ways of analyzing the diverse aspects of the demand for urban tourism. Estimates of total demand are shown to vary widely depending on the approach adopted; the most common involve a variation on relating a count of hotel arrivals to survey data showing patterns of accommodation usage. Paris is then set within the national context and the place of the city within broader itineraries is outlined. Patterns of activity within the city are examined next using data from surveys and visitor monitors. These highlight the importance of both formal and informal activities and reveal different patterns of use between sites in terms of resident and visitor patronage as well as absolute levels of demand. Expenditure surveys underline the role of shopping and spending on accommodation. The article concludes by suggesting that more effort might now be directed at developing systematic links between figures for formal and informal activities, both in terms of generating estimates of total visitors and identifying patterns of visitor behavior, and at integrating data from periodic visitor surveys with statistics recorded on a continuing basis.
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