To the popular and sporting success of this global event was added a record tourist attendance with more than a million visitors. This is the north of the territory, where the Olympic nautical stadium of Vaires-sur-Marnewhich benefited from this influx, while the South appeared to lag behind.
A strong enthusiasm
With morea million people welcomed during the Games, tourist activity in Seine-et-Marne recorded an increase of 2% compared to the same period in 2023. This increase can be explained by a real enthusiasm among the French for this globalized sports festival. French customers have flocked to our department (+10%).
As for foreign visitors (71%, stable figure compared to 2023), we noted an increase in German tourists (+15%), Belgian (+17%) and a slight decrease in British (-8%) and Dutch ( -2%). These JOPs also attracted visitors from distant destinations such as the United States (+10%), Brazil (+49%) and Mexico (+29%). “The media omnipresence of the Paris region and the positive reception of visitors should encourage a notable increase in the number of tourists in the future,” it is estimated Seine-et-Marne Attractiveness.
Gold medal for the North
Visitors therefore mainly went to the North of Seine-et-Marne to be as close as possible to the nautical stadium of Vaires-sur-Marne, host of the Olympic and Paralympic events canoeing and rowing. The geographical proximity of this Olympic site, with Paris and Disneyland Paris, is also not unrelated to this crowd.
The intercommunalities of Marne-et-Gondoire and Paris-Vallée de la Marne are the big winners of these JOPs thanks, in particular, to lower accommodation costs. Aside from the Roissy Pays de France urban community, Paris-Vallée de la Marne was the leading destination for excursionists during the Games, even surpassing Val d’Europe Agglomération (where Disneyland Paris is located) in number of visitors of a day during the competitions. The increase is even dizzying compared to 2023 (+86% of excursionists), not counting the increase in commercial and non-commercial tourist nights
(+18 %).
Vaires-sur-Marne is full
Seine-et-Marne had the honor and privilege of having an official competition site: the nautical stadium of Vaires-sur-Marne. According to figures communicated by the specialized organization Choose Paris Region, the number of visitors who flocked to the Vaires Olympic pools is estimated at 438,000 people. In this crowd of supporters and enthusiasts, there were 55% foreign visitors and 45% locals.
Top accommodation
The results for accommodation (survey carried out among 30 accommodation providers, hotels and campsites combined) are also contrasted between professionals located in the north of the department and the others (read the box). Most accommodation providers near the Vaires-sur-Marne nautical stadium and the capital have thus posted a stable or even increasing number of reservations.
These good occupancy rates can be explained by the accommodation needs of law enforcement, the presence of sports delegations and, of course, the influx of tourists. Seasonal rentals (Airbnb and Abritel) saw their revenue increase by almost 30% in July compared to July 2023, with the number of accommodations increasing by 65% during that month.
The average length of stay remained stable with three nights, still during the month of July. The Paris-Vallée de la Marne area has once again hit the jackpot with estimated revenue from seasonal rentals which have exploded (+138% compared to last year). And what about the town of Vaires-sur-Marne (+649%!)? Sites like Villages Nature Paris, in Bailly-Romainvilliers (more than four million customers with accommodation and +7% compared to 2023), and the Great War Museum, in Meaux (which estimates having benefited from a new clientele foreign in July and August), also performed well in the… Games.
A feeling of pride
In conclusion, we can note that the trends observed during the Paris 2024 Games reflect those of other cities that have previously hosted the Olympic Games, such as London in 2012. The positive effects on tourist numbers often appear after the competitions. “These Games were a fantastic opportunity to promote all our natural and heritage resources, but also our ability to work in a network. Such enthusiasm for our destination has made us proud,” says Olivier Morin, president of Seine-et-Marne Attractiveness and departmental advisor responsible for attractiveness, tourism and development.
Mixed results in the south of the department
For the ten major tourist sites in Seine-et-Marne, the Olympic and Paralympic Games were not necessarily seen as an opportunity to increase their visitors. 60% of them even believe that the impact has been negative. Attendance at the Château de Fontainebleau fell by 11% in July and was stable in August. The cumulative attendance over the year 2024, however, remains higher than that of 2023. As for the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, we also mention a drop of 10% in attendance, a reduction also supposed to be linked to the JOP, but also to capricious weather in July. Same contrasting results for accommodation located in the south of the department where the absence of a usual clientele was noted. Quite the same situation for the Gîtes de France, whose occupancy rate was 58% during the Olympics, a drop of 13 points compared to the same period in 2023.
