SINGAPORE, 16 August 2024: Millions of travellers flocked to France for the Olympics, as expected, according to Sabre’s booking analysis. However, the Games also boosted outbound travel, with travellers leaving host cities.
Sabre’s insights show that air travel to the main host cities during the Olympic period was up 31% compared to the previous year.
However, travellers leaving host cities before the event also increased. While the Olympics boosted travel for solo travellers and couples, the event decreased family travel, with those with children seeking out quieter destinations away from the Games.
Sabre has taken a deep dive into the Olympics’ impact on travel and revealed 11 key findings.
• International travel to major host cities in the first week of the Olympics increased by 31% year-on-year;
• Outbound travel from France in the week before the Olympics was up by 13% year-on-year as travellers headed to quieter destinations;
• International airline capacity to France increased by 7% overall for the three-week duration of the Games;
• Domestic air capacity was down in France overall following the implementation of France’s ban on short-haul domestic flights;
• The busiest day for travel to host cities was 25 July, with travel up 76% the day before the opening ceremony;
• Olympic travellers made their plans well in advance, with bookings made more than 10 months ahead, up 165% compared with the same period in 2023;
• Fares for the Olympic weeks decreased closer to the Games;
• The biggest year-on-year boost for international travel to France came from North America and Asia Pacific;
• Paris trips were concentrated in the first two weeks of the Games, with other host cities seeing more of a boost in the weeks leading up to the Olympics;
• Travel for solo travellers and couples was up, while family travel was largely down, as families chose destinations away from the hubbub of the events and
• Travel to Paris from New York and Tokyo is up significantly for the upcoming Paralympics games.
Directions of travel
The Paris Olympics were highly anticipated. Organisers of the previous Games in Tokyo banned spectators as a Covid control measure, so sports fans were eager to watch the Olympics in person this time. And, as expected, millions of local and international spectators attended the events, with Sabre booking data showing a 31% uptick in international air travel into the main host cities in the first week of the Games.
Paris, where most events took place, enjoyed a big uplift in travel, with an increase of 33% in inbound international air passengers during the week of the opening ceremony.
Other host cities, which hosted events including football, handball, and sailing, also saw the Olympic effect. Lille saw a more significant increase in travellers in percentage terms, with air travel up 51% in the first week of the Games, while Nantes had a 35% increase, and Bordeaux had a 33% lift.
Notably, Paris trips were concentrated in the first two weeks of the Olympics, with the opening ceremony week recording the highest passenger increase compared to last year. However, other host cities saw a boost in the weeks leading up to the Olympics. Travellers decided to take a longer vacation to explore those regions of France before heading to the Olympic events. Olympic organisers specifically encouraged travellers to explore each host city, with suggestions of non-Games-related attractions on the official Games website.
The chart below shows the percentage increase (or decrease) for inbound travel to host cities. The first week is the week of the opening ceremony, while the third week is the week of the closing ceremony.
However, not everyone was heading in the same direction of travel. In addition to the mass influx of travellers excited to see their favourite teams and athletes, there was also an increase in outbound travel from France in the week before the Games, with outbound travel from the host cities up 13% overall in the week before the opening ceremony compared to the same calendar week last year.
