Paris welcomes 11 million tourists during Olympic Games
(VOVWORLD) - The French capital welcomed 11.2 million tourists during the three weeks of hosting the 2024 Olympics, reaching the set target, despite previous concerns about security and accommodation conditions, the Paris tourism office said on Monday.
According to the office’s report, 85% of the total arrivals were French tourists and the rest were foreigners, mostly from the US, Germany, and the UK. Notably, the number of foreign tourists was higher than last year's.
French Tourism Minister Olivia Gregoire told French paper La Tribune Dimanche on Sunday that the number of guests staying at hotels in cities hosting the Olympic events increased 16% against last year while tourism-related sales at museums and restaurants saw a 25% increase year-on-year. The Games’ organizing committee said that it had sold more than 9.5 million tickets to more than 6 million spectators.
According to the Banque de France, France's economy may have received a boost from the Paris Olympics in the third quarter.
Paris 2024 organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said, “We made strong choices and stuck to this ambition during the past seven years. Bold choices are not always the easiest ones. But to organize these competitions or the opening ceremony on the river Seine or swimming in the river Seine, we have to face challenges, of course, but we did it.”
France will continue to host the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8 in Paris and some neighboring localities. About 4 million visitors are expected to attend the games.