Tourists in France to be protected by armed police and soldiers amid heightened beach security

An additional 23,000 troops and police officers will be deployed to holiday destinations over the summer

French anti-riot policemen (CRS - compagnie Republicaine de Securite) patrol close to the beach of Saint-Malo, western France on July 21, 2016 (DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)

French security services will protect tourists at holiday sites this summer due to fears Islamist terrorists could target holidaymakers.

An additional 23,000 troops and police officers will be deployed to holiday destinations over the summer, the French government pledged.

Armed police and soldiers will patrol beaches, festivals, stations and airports following the Bastille Day attack in Nice, which left 84 dead, and the murder of an 85-year-old priest in Normandy.

Fears of a terror attack remain high, with Cannes council announcing it will ban backpacks and other bags in which bombs could be hidden from its beaches, The Times reports.

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the additional troops and police officers will be deployed to 56 festivals, open-air concerts and fairs this summer.

Last month, France equipped its CRS riot police force with special holsters to carry weapons for the first time and bulletproof vests, The Guardian reports.

Previously they had been equipped with batons and handcuffs.

France has extended its state of emergency for another three months following the Bastille Day attack.

He also announced the calling up of army reserves to bolster the ranks of police and gendarmes, as well as the continuation of Operation Sentinel, a mobilisation of 10,000 armed forces on the streets of the country.