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≡ FINAL TOURISM REPORT ≡
The Paris tourism agency – Paris je t’Aime or “Paris, I Love You” – released quick snapshots of the economic and tourism impacts of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games last summer, but the full report was quietly published earlier in 2025, with confirmation of the details.
The bottom line:
A lot of people came to see the Games, nearly all of them from France.
The details:
● The 2024 Olympic Games sold 9.5 million tickets, a record and had another 2.6 million watching the road races in track & field, triathlon and cycling.
● A total of 11.2 million people took part in Games activities in the Greater Paris region, with 85% from France:
= 5.2 million (46.4%) from the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris
= 3.0 million (26.8%) visited for the day and did not stay overnight
= 3.0 million (26.8%) tourists stayed for one or more nights
Of the three million who came and stayed, almost half of those were French – 1.4 million – while 1.6 million were foreign visitors (14.3%).
Now, three million overnight visitors over the Games might seem like a lot, but let’s take it in context:
● 3.0 million tourists in 2024 compared to 2.58 million in 2023 (+16.3%)
● 1.4 million French tourists in 2024 vs. 1.13 million in 2023 (+24.4%)
● 1.6 million foreign tourists in 2024 vs. 1.45 million in 2023 (+10.3%)
So after all the arithmetic:
● About 420,000 more total tourists than 2023
● About 287,000 more French tourists than 2023 (68.3%)
● About 150,000 more foreign tourists than 2023 (35.7%)
That’s what the Olympic Games brought: about 420,000 extra overnight stayers across the 17 days of the Games. Not millions, but hundreds of thousands, up about 16% from the year prior. These figures are down slightly from the quick-release numbers published right after the Games.
In terms of where the foreign tourism came from, the top international markets included:
● 230,000 from the U.S. (+21% vs. 2023)
● 130,000 from Germany (+42%)
● 115,000 from Great Britain (+21%)
● 107,000 from Brazil (+109.4%)
● 82,000 from China (+64.9%)
Overnight stays averaged about three nights, compared to 2.0-2.5 in 2023. Moreover, Paris was not sold out:
● 84% occupancy rate of overnight accommodations
● This was up 10.1% over the same period in 2023
● Prices were 18% higher during the Games, vs. 2023.
Occupancy was way down in the four weeks prior to the Games, at about 65% from 1-22 July, down 16% from 2023.
It’s also worth noting what these tourists were doing. They were attending Olympic competitions, eating out and buying souvenirs. They were not visiting the Louvre (down 22.2%), the Musee d’Orsay (down 29%) or the Chateau de Versailles (down 25%). In fact, from 1 July to 11 August (the Games started on 26 July), overall tourism in the region was down 4.7% year-over-year. But it picked up significantly after the Paralympics closed. This is known as the “displacement” effect of the Games.
In addition to the Olympic Games proper, there were 7.5 million visitors to the “celebration sites” such as the Terrasse des Jeux, Parc George-Valbon, Parc des Nations with 15 countries at 180 sites and fan zones in the Ile-de-France; the vast majority were French.
In the build-up to the Games, eight million people saw the Olympic Torch Relay, in more than 450 towns and cities.
¶
What about during the Paralympics, which had 2.6 million tickets sold, the second-most ever? According to the report:
“It is estimated that 3.4 million visitors came to Paris during the Paralympic Games. 1.9 million were tourists, of which 950,000 were French (-5.7 % compared with 2023) and 970,000 were foreigners (stable compared with 2023).”
An estimated 600 000 people saw the Paralympic Torch Relay, in more than 50 towns and cities.
¶
The value of the follow-up report is to recognize the reality of the Games on tourism and not swallow the hype. A look ahead to 2028 makes it worthwhile to compare the Paris environment with the Los Angeles area:
● 12.45 million in the Ile-de-France region (4,638 sq. miles)
● 13.05 million in the Los Angeles-Orange County area
● 9.76 million in Los Angeles County (4,084 sq. miles)
● 2.07 million in the City of Paris in 41 sq. miles
● 3.88 million in the City of Los Angeles in 498 sq. miles
So, Paris itself is much denser than Los Angeles, but the Ile-de-France and Los Angeles County (with its 88 cities) are pretty similar in size and people. So the tourism experience in Paris should matter when looking ahead to 2028.
The report notes the reasons for Paris’ achievements:
“The success of this event necessitated close collaboration between professions and institutions that were not used to working together. Mindful of what was at stake and the fixed deadline of the opening date, everyone demonstrated professionalism, efficiency and a remarkable spirit of cooperation. …
“This collective effort, characterized by outstanding synergy, was the key to the success of the Games. It was proof that when a region’s driving forces unite around a common goal, they can rise to the most ambitious challenges and deliver an unforgettable event.”
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