France Experiences Surge in Journey Demand Forward of 2024 Summer time Olympics with People Main the Cost

Sojern at this time shared its newest journey knowledge* forward of the 2024 Summer time Olympics. Slated to be held in Paris, France from 26 July – 11 August 2024, the summer season Olympic video games will convey collectively 10,500 athletes from 206 Nationwide Olympic Committees (NOCs) that signify nations from all around the world. The video games would be the greatest occasion ever organized in France.

Between the Tremendous Bowl, Olympics, European Championship, and different main sporting occasions, advert spending is projected to achieve $61 billion this yr alone. Not solely do these occasions bolster promoting revenues, however in addition they drive unimaginable journey demand, with nations seeing large spikes as attendees flock to cheer on their favourite groups. For instance, flight bookings surged 63% in comparison with the prior yr forward of the F1 Grand Prix in Singapore and vacationers booked their journeys to Qatar properly prematurely of regular leisure journey to safe their place on the 2022 FIFA World Cup. These main sporting occasions additionally renew curiosity in host locations lengthy after the ultimate match. After Qatar hosted the World Cup, the nation noticed between a 79-255% enhance in worldwide lodging searches, bucking seasonal journey developments.

Flight Bookings to Paris Improve as Olympic Tickets Go On Sale
Paris is already a well-liked vacation spot–6.3 million vacationers visited the Eiffel Tower in 2023, surpassing pre-COVID-19 tourism–and the Olympics will solely solidify its place as top-of-mind for vacationers. Tickets for the thirty third Olympic Video games went on sale on 30 November 2023, and journey demand to France has already elevated considerably. For the interval of the Olympic Video games in 2024, flight bookings, not simply searches, to Paris are up 125% in comparison with the identical journey interval final yr.

Arrival dates range, indicating that vacationers doubtless are planning journeys round particular occasions and out there trip time. No matter arrival date, one factor is for certain: The vast majority of vacationers are planning to go away Paris the day the Olympics finish, highlighting that many are doubtless coming from nations the place firms do not supply prolonged go away, akin to america. Moreover, with a mean journey size of 11 days in comparison with 13.2 in 2023, it is clear that the video games are driving journey choices.

France is Nonetheless a Well-liked Vacation spot for American Vacationers
Traditionally, Paris has been a high summer season vacation spot for vacationers around the globe, and the Olympics will cement France’s place on the high of their lists. In line with Sojern flight reserving knowledge, 23.8% of bookings throughout the Olympic interval to Paris originate from america, making it the highest origin nation internationally adopted by Canada, United Kingdom, Japan and Spain. The USA led the medal depend in each the 2020 and 2016 Olympics, which can be contributing to demand. Provided that summer season journey to Paris is persistently robust, vacationers must e book their journeys early throughout the Olympic Video games.

Parisians Are Reserving Staycation Journeys to Different French Locations
Whereas worldwide vacationers are flocking to Paris for the Olympics, Parisians are discovering solace elsewhere by taking staycations to different elements of France. At the moment, lodge bookings from Parisians touring to different elements of France are up 49% throughout the Olympics season in comparison with 2023, indicating that many Parisians plan to go away the town throughout the video games to keep away from crowds. Lille, Good, Corsica, Lyon, and Toulouse are high locations, giving hoteliers across the nation the chance to draw Parisians to their properties throughout the Olympic interval.

“We’re excited concerning the rising curiosity in Lyon as a vacationer vacation spot and we stay up for internet hosting guests earlier than and after the Olympic occasions. Lyon, only a 2-hour prepare experience from Paris, presents the right mix of sports activities, gastronomy, tradition, and the famend French artwork de vivre. Having hosted main occasions just like the Ladies’s Soccer World Cup and the Rugby World Cup not too long ago, we’re well-versed in delivering a memorable French expertise. Whether or not vacationers are from close to or far, Lyon goals to leverage the rising journey demand to determine an enduring enchantment to new guests,” mentioned Mathilde Carpentier, Partnership and Promotion Director at ONLYLYON Tourisme et Congrès.

How Vacation spot Advertising Organizations (DMOs) Can Leverage Elevated Journey Demand
“By utilizing the precise channels all year long—not simply seasonally—DMOs can attain vacationers within the second and encourage them to suppose past sporting occasions,” mentioned Noreen Henry, Chief Income Officer at Sojern. “Not solely do always-on, multichannel campaigns give DMOs higher insights, however most of these campaigns allow them to maximise their budgets, do extra with much less, and get in entrance of vacationers at each stage of the planning cycle.” 

DMOs can capitalize on present demand and renewed curiosity to entice vacationers to e book native points of interest and even discover lesser-known areas shut by. This requires DMOs to maneuver past conventional seasonal campaigns and take an always-on, multichannel method to their advertising methods. In response to an unsure economic system and inflation, greater than 58% of DMOs are taking an always-on method to advertising.

*Sojern knowledge pulled as of Feb 2 2024