Nearly 90 million foreign tourists visited France in 2019, making it the most visited country in the world, according to government data. Tourism accounts for almost eight per cent of the country's 2.3 trillion euro economy.

"Tourism is facing what is probably its worst challenge in modern history," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told a news conference on Thursday.

"Because this is one of the crown jewels of the French economy, rescuing it is a national priority.

"This very French pleasure, which is at the heart of our identity, to meet up, eat well and have a chat, has been compromised by the lockdown first, and then the conditions of lifting that lockdown."

The prime minister said that with 95 per cent of hotels closed, the government's priority was to avoid bankruptcies and job cuts.

To prevent job losses, the government is reimbursing companies for 70 per cent of the gross wages of workers they put on furlough, and Philippe said that it would extend this measure until at least the end of September.

In other sectors the government is now looking at winding this support down as France emerges from a nationwide lockdown.

In April, French hotels company Accor, which runs brands such as Ibis and Sofitel, said it was cutting spending and had placed the bulk of its staff on furlough or unemployment schemes.

Philippe said he hoped restaurants would be able to reopen on June 2 in the country's "green zones" where the virus is not circulating widely.

That would, however, rule out an immediate return of the dining scene in Paris, a virus hotspot "red zone".

The prime minister sought to reassure people that the cherished summer holiday - during which Paris virtually shuts down and holiday makers head for beaches and country houses - would not be lost.

He indicated restrictions including a ban on trips more than 100km and the closure of beaches would be no obstacle during summer months, unless the outbreak picked up again.

Australian Associated Press