France faces hurdles as Olympics fail to draw anticipated crowds

Preparations for the major sports event are in full swing. Hosting the Olympic Games is an excellent opportunity for the host city to attract crowds of fans and tourists. However, France is facing numerous problems.

Rising travel and accommodation costs, riots and political changes, and security concerns related to the terrorist threat are just some of the problems that France, the host of this year's Olympics, is grappling with. According to the Global Travel Moments travel agency, for these reasons, many of even the most dedicated fans have decided to skip the biggest sports event of the year.

The French expected real crowds of tourists and fans during the Olympics. Of course, it can't be said that the streets of Paris will be empty, but data shows that they won't be as crowded as initially expected.

ForwardKeys, a company that collects and analyzes airline ticket information, reported that flight bookings to Paris would increase by only 10 percent compared to last year. France fares poorly compared to data from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. For example, eight years ago in Brazil, a year-over-year increase of 115 percent was recorded.

The result of the French capital is even worse than that achieved three years ago by Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the then-rigorous travel restrictions, Japan recorded a 20-percent increase.

Parisian consulting firm MKG reported that the number of hotel bookings in the weeks leading up to the games is significantly lower compared to last year. Hotel industry revenues dropped by 25 percent in June as there are fans who come to the events but give up on staying overnight and going straight home.

29-year-old Emma Mathieson decided to take this approach. She has tickets for the women's soccer bronze medal match in Lyon. However, instead of staying overnight in the French capital after the match, she plans to return to London on a night bus. Accommodation costing over 430 CAD per night exceeded her budget. - I would have loved to have seen more women's matches or group stages if it was more affordable - Mathieson told Reuters.

According to the Paris tourism office, the average cost per night in a hotel between July 26 and August 11 increased by 70 percent compared to last year and was about 490 CAD, which deterred many fans.

- Right now, it's the lowest bookings we've seen in 25 years for almost any sports event - Alan Bachand, a sports travel agent from the United States, told Reuters.

Some travel agencies, however, are hoping for a last-minute shopping frenzy for tickets and accommodation as fans look for potential last-minute discounts in the weeks leading up to the event.

London, the host of the 2012 Olympic Games, had similar experiences. At that time, only a three-percent increase in arrivals was recorded because many fans preferred to avoid a city usually flooded with tourists in the summer.