French war museum in vanguard of push for more foreign tourists

Today’s Guardian on France’s push for WW1 tourists,

But the Museum of the Great War in Meaux, inaugurated by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, last month and already exceeding expected visitor numbers, is also the first move in France's new campaign to develop itself as the world capital of war tourism.

France is still the world's number one tourist destination. But while its reputation for shopping has slumped, the government now hopes its wealth of battlefields, memorial sites, trenches and war cemeteries holds the key to attracting tourists. More than 20 million tourists a year visit France for its battle sites and war history. That number is expected to soar with the centenary of the first world war in 2014 and the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings, already triggering a round of renovations and new themed tours.

French war museum in vanguard of push for more foreign tourists | World news | guardian.co.uk

Read it all.  Seems a growth business.