Paris Olympic Games to deliver “sizeable, but short-lived” uptick in international air travel
The upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games are set to deliver a “sizeable, but short-lived boost to French international air travel,” says the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Although international air…
July 1, 2024
The upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games are set to deliver a “sizeable, but short-lived boost to French international air travel,” says the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Although international air travel to the French capital has lagged that of other European countries so far this year– with ticket sales currently down 10% year on year compared to an over 10% growth elsewhere – this trend is set to equalize around 23 July, statistics suggest. The Olympics will then “reverse this trend, if only for the last week of July and the first week of August”.
Although international air travel to Paris will slow further in the weeks immediately prior to the event, trending downwards on a year on year basis and bottoming out during the week ahead of the event, “this sluggishness is most likely a sign of deferred travel,” adds IATA. Sales then spike in the days immediately prior to the opening ceremony on 26 July. A second peak (up 37% year on year) coincides with the start of the athletics programme on 2 August.
Despite overall international air tickets to Paris running at an elevated level of 10%-50% above 2023 bookings for the same dates, growth in international travel to other European cities remains “relatively stable”. However, these other destinations will experience an uptick in bookings directly after the Olympics, “indicating that some travellers may take the opportunity to explore the continent after leaving Paris”.
In the weeks following the Olympics, international air travel to Paris is expected to remain moderately above last year’s levels, although still lagging that of other major European destinations. A further “muted increase” is again visible ahead of the start of the Paralympics on 28 August.
