In July, the world will have a meeting with Paris. The Summer Olympics to be held in the capital from July 26 to August 11 will greatly attract tourists and ticket holders to this global event.
The first figures provided by the Paris Tourist Office give an idea of the expected magnitude.
“The volume of international air bookings to date for the Olympic Games has increased by +115.5% compared to the period from July 26 to August 11, 2023,” we can read.
For the Olympic Games alone, 11.3 million visitors are expected, of which 13% are foreigners (that is, 1.5 million people). 854,000 will come from Europe and 65,000 from long-haul destinations.
Even if these massive arrivals will be offset to some extent by a proportion of tourists who will stop coming to Paris, for Paris airports the challenge ahead will be difficult. Because it will be necessary to manage the visitors but also the numerous athletes and their delegations.
Transport, luggage, controls, the Aéroports de Paris group has deployed a whole series of measures to meet expectations.
Hoteliers have a heavy hand
According to the Paris Tourist Office, the average price observed for a hotel room in Greater Paris during the event is 522 euros per night. The increase in one year is impressive, since this average price was “202 euros in July 2023 and 161 euros in August 2023.”
According to a study by UFC Que Choisir published at the end of December, abusive practices in the sector are innumerable and “hoteliers have a heavy hand.”
The association thus analyzed the prices and conditions of 80 establishments in the capital (chosen at random, from 2 to 4 stars) located a stone’s throw from the Seine, where the opening ceremony will take place.
It compared the lowest rates and sales conditions for the night of July 26-27 with those offered 15 days earlier (July 12-13) for a classic double room. These prices were increased on December 20 and 21.
The results are worrying and even scandalous. Of the 20% of hotels that can be booked during these two periods, the rate per night literally skyrockets. This goes from 317 euros on average to 1,033 euros per night covering the opening ceremony, an increase of almost 226%.
Source: BFM TV
