Toulouse caps 2025 with record tourism and investment growth
Toulouse in Southwest France wraps up 2025 with a historic performance across all sectors, according to Toulouse Team, the city marketing agency, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The agency reports unprecedented results in tourism, MICE, economic development and film production support.
In 2025, Toulouse logged 5.2 million paid overnight stays, up 5.7%, surpassing the pre-pandemic 2019 benchmark for the first time. 21% of all overnight were generated by foreign visitors. Toulouse has a total of 132 hotel units with a capacity of 8,600 rooms as well as 46 hotel residences offering
4,410 rooms.
Beyond numbers, the city’s model is notable: growth is controlled with no overtourism, supported by a new balance between business and leisure visitors: 54% business tourism vs. 46% leisure. Pre-Covid, the split was 70/30. This shift broadens the destination’s seasonal appeal, strengthens leisure offerings, and reinforces its city-center anchor.
Major ticketed attractions welcomed 4 million visitors. Science and tech venues saw strong gains: Halle de la Machine (+14%), L’Envol des Pionniers (+15%), and Aeroscopia (+12%). The Musée des Augustins -museum of fine arts- reopened in December, drawing 42,000 visitors in just one month.
Toulouse’s long-term appeal has been recognized with three major accolades:
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Ranked #1 among large French metropolitan areas for the third consecutive year in the Arthur Loyd Barometer.
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France’s top student city according to L’Étudiant, with a record 97.32% recommendation rate.
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Named “Best in Travel 2025” globally by Lonely Planet, praised for its lifestyle, heritage, and repurposed industrial sites.
Business Tourism Breakthrough
Toulouse confirmed its role as a European meetings hub. 120 major events hosted 40,757 participants, including eight congresses with 1,000+ attendees, generating 82,848 overnight stays. Event durations are rising (+20% of events lasting 2+ days), with a surge in medium-sized gatherings (+41%). Economic impact jumped 29.8% to €37.5M, while Toulouse entered the European Top 50 in ICCA rankings (46th) and rose 8 places globally (76th).
The city welcomed 30 new companies, creating 680 projected jobs, with 73% focused on R&D and engineering in space, health (including Siemens Healthineers), and energy. 60% of new projects are foreign, making Toulouse France’s top city for international investment.
Finally, in terms of film production, Toulouse hosted 163 audiovisual projects, 353 filming days, and 13 TV shows, including TF1’s La Cible and Red Bull campaigns. Local studio XBO Films is up for a 2026 Oscar with its animated short Papillon.
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