The government announced that France had exceeded the milestone of 100 million tourists in 2023.
An unprecedented figure, linked to the organization of the Olympic Games in Paris, even if this effect remains to be put into perspective.
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The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
France, gold medal of world tourism. According to the government, the country welcomed 100 million international visitors in 2024, generating 71 billion euros in revenue. An unprecedented figure: France has never reached this symbolic milestone. An Olympic Games effect? Yes, but not only that. Explanations.
If France experienced unprecedented success last year, we must recognize that this was already the case in 2023. No less than 98 million tourists had already crossed our borders. France thus welcomed “only” two million more people. Although we do not know precisely the dates of their stays, there is no doubt that many of them came during the Olympics.
A long-term “JO effect”
In fact, the Paris town hall specifies on its website, “3.1 million tourist arrivals were recorded during the Olympic fortnight”. Except that not all of them are foreigners: this figure represents an increase of 27% for French visitors and only 13% for foreigners compared to 2023. In detail, the municipality estimates the overall volume of visitors at 11.2 million. . “Among them, 44.6% are Ile-de-France residents, 12.5% national tourists, 15.2% international tourists and 27.7% excursionists (day visitors).“In short: around 1.6 million foreigners would have come to the capital to enjoy the Games.
The results of the hotel sector alone make it possible to measure an almost zero effect for Paris from the organization of this sporting event. The hotel industry in fact ended 2024 on “a barely neutral assessment“(0%) of sales in professional accommodation (hotels and tourist residences), according to the Alliance France Tourisme. The reason: the strong increase in the Olympic fortnight (x 2.5) was canceled “by regular setbacks for many weeks of the year.”
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“Positive for the Paris showcase”: after the 2024 Olympics, the tourism sector takes stock
If the public present for the Olympic competitions represents less than 2% of the 100 million tourists in 2024, it could nevertheless have a long-term effect. He “must capitalize as best as possible on the Olympic Games effect“, estimated the Alliance France Tourisme, which is pleading in particular for investments. To succeed in attracting customers for longer, Nathalie Delattre, minister in office since the end of December, announced a “double priority: making France the leading sustainable tourism destination by 2030 and improving the hotel offer.
The Christmas holidays made it possible to measure this “Olympics effect”, with tourists who came in large numbers to the capital. The hotel industry has seen an increase of almost 10% in reservations. The Olympic Games have “made tourists want to either come back or come, given the images“, analyzed Frank Delvau, president of the Paris-Ile-de-France branch of the Union of Hospitality Trades (Umih).
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