This is the last international sporting event in Paris before the big Olympic event this summer. The first balls were exchanged this Monday, May 20 on the clay court of Porte d’Auteuil (16th century), during the qualifying rounds of Roland-Garros. The Parisian Grand Slam tournament – the probable last one played by its legend Rafael Nadal (14 titles in Paris) – has the air of a dress rehearsal since the Olympic tennis events will take place in the same place.
A repetition also for tourism professionals, while more than 600,000 visitors are expected in the metropolis, according to the latest barometer from the Tourist Office – Paris Je T’aime. There are 15 million tourists that the French territory, and mainly its capital, must welcome this summer during the Paris 2024 Games. In the outlook table, still according to this same monthly barometer, we observe a phenomenon of “going backwards for jump better.”
Attendance down in June, but…
Indeed, “forecasts for international air arrivals are falling for almost all markets, by -8% in June and -14.6% between July 1 and 20,” estimates the Tourist Office. A decline in attendance, therefore for this period which precedes the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26. But the trend will quickly reverse as the competition approaches.
During the event, air arrivals increased by +28.3% for North America and +35% for Europe. “The top three foreign markets for ticket buyers are Great Britain, the United States and Germany,” explains Paris Je T’aime. On the price side, the average hotel prices applied during the Olympic Games are – to date – 381 euros, and 212 euros during the Paralympic Games, compared to 202 and 161 euros over the same periods last year.
Tourism: more than 2.5 billion euros in benefits
In terms of economic benefits, the Paris 2024 Games are expected to generate between 6.7 and 11.1 billion euros, according to the Center for Sports Law and Economics (CDES). “In the median scenario (9 billion euros of impact), almost 30% is to be attributed to the tourism sector alone, recalls the Office, with an estimate of 2.67 billion euros. »
