“JO effect”, Notre-Dame: a “very good end of the year” for Parisian tourism

So many curious people flocked to Parisian hotels. On average, at the end of November and the beginning of December, two-day overnight stays in establishments were 20% more frequent than last year over the same period. For long stays, it's even more: 34% increase. Enough to delight Franck Delvau, president of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (Umih) Paris Île-de-France, who greets “a very good end of the year for Parisian tourism”.

At the reception of the Mayet hotel, located in 6^e district, this enthusiastic observation is “confirmed”. “We are full this weekend with many more tourists than at the time of the Olympics, when we received more professionals”we specify. During the two weeks of Christmas holidays, the overall occupancy rate of Parisian hotels was 70%, or nine points more than last year, according to the MKG Consulting firm.

Franck Delvau analyzes the phenomenon as “rebound effect of the Olympics” : tourists wanting to visit the capital avoided it this summer because it was too crowded. But with the success of the Games and the reopening of Notre-Dame, the curious, French and international, are now flocking to Paris.

This makes it possible to continue to compensate for the colossal drop in attendance endured by restaurateurs and hoteliers in the run-up to the Games. At the time, security perimeters and restrictions of all kinds dissuaded customers from sitting down and caused a “30% drop in activity in Parisian establishments”Franck Delvau then explained to Challenges. A shortfall that some hotels are still struggling to make up for. The Wagram hotel (17th arrondissement of Paris) thus deplores a 40% drop in its turnover for the 2024 financial year.

For many establishments, then launched, the Games nevertheless came to redress their accounts. The post-Olympic period therefore appears to follow this trend. So much so that for January 2025, the Paris tourist office is counting on a 20% increase in international visitors.

Something to further reassure Franck Delvau, who “rejoices” also the decision of the Paris town hall to limit rentals of furnished tourist accommodation to 90 days per year, which it considers “be unfair competition”. Until now, the capital was “the second city in the world with the most announcements”. With their supervision, the many tourists will have less choice in their accommodation, and it is the more than 1,600 Parisian hotels that could benefit.