The towns of Antibes, Dijon, and La Baule have all been added to the list of “International Tourist Zones”, meaning shoppers can splash their cash until midnight, and on Sundays.
The government announced at the weekend that the three towns would be added to the growing list of international tourist zones.
The change means that shops will be open for longer in a bid to boost the local economies.
The three new additions come at the request of the respective towns' mayors and follow a trial period, as well as discussions with employment groups and unions.
The government said in a statement on Saturday that the towns all matched the necessary criteria for becoming a tourist zone, some of which include “having an international reputation due to commerce, culture, heritage, or leisure” and “attracting an influx of tourists from outside of France”.
Dijon, in central France, marks the first non-coastal town to get tourist zone status. Antibes, meanwhile, joins another four towns along the French Riviera on the list, while La Baule – a seaside resort on the south coast of Brittany – marks the first in France's west.
La Baule. Photo: Stéphane D/Flickr
France now has 21 tourist zones, known as ZTIs in French, with 12 in Paris alone. Those in the capital are mainly at large shopping centres and train stations.
Elsewhere in France, zones have been set up at tourist hotspots along the Riviera including Nice, Cannes, Cagnes-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent-du-Var.
The others are Deauville on the Normandy coast and the Val d'Europe shopping complex to the east of Paris.
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