2024, an Olympic year essentially for Châteauroux

The Olympic dream is over. The dreamed El Dorado has not revealed itself. Only hoteliers and restaurateurs in the Castelroussine area have benefited from the Olympic Games effect. And only some of them. “ Those who have had reasoned and reasonable management show very satisfactory resultsanalyzes Thierry Bluet, director of the Indre Attractiveness Agency. Among certain hoteliers, we see turnovers multiplied by three or four compared to the 2023 season. The same for restaurateurs who knew and were able to benefit from the Olympics effect. »

This means having been able to charge reasonable prices, adapting the timetables and menus to these new tourists… It also means having been able to find the staff to provide cooking and service. Recruitment issues are still very significant in the catering industry, as in the hotel industry. “Some had to scale back due to lack of personnel”deplores Thierry Bluet. Not all… The occupancy rate of hotels in Châteauroux during the shooting events reached 97.4%, and 65% a week before, a record!

“The big winner is Châteauroux”

“We had a 55% increase in attendance at the tourist office this summerintervenes Sébastien Roy, head of the establishment's reception service. We welcomed more than 10,000 people. »

But the Olympic Games only lasted ten days and did not extend outside the city. “The big winner is Châteauroux, continues Thierry Bluet. It is more moderate in Indre, even if media exposure benefits both. We are going to bank on this Olympics effect and build our 2025 promotion plan on the follow-up, hoping that these new tourists will want to come back. »

The Games, however, will not have been enough to improve the results of a lackluster 2024 season, in Indre as in France, after two excellent years 2022 and 2023. “We had very encouraging prospectscontinues Thierry Bluet, with real enthusiasm for our department, very sustained summer activity and a more dynamic late season than before Covid. It is clear that we will not be at these somewhat exceptional levels. »

The weather, the unexpected electoral calendar, the drop in purchasing power… So many reasons given by the director of the Indre Attractiveness Agency. “We also saw a drop in the average length of stay. People stayed away for less time and, above all, spent less. We are more of a glass-half-empty reading, but the situation is not catastrophic. » All that remains is for the seeds sown this summer to germinate.