Paris Olympics Travel Sees Last-Minute Surge

More than 10,000 athletes from almost 200 nations traveled to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics (July 26 – August 11) in a quest to win gold. Accompanying them, of course, are travelers — some 11 million spectators consisting of both business travelers — who want to witness the history that’s inevitably made at the Games.

Most of these visitors will be traveling domestically; an estimated 1.5 million visitors are coming from outside France. And plenty of them will be “on the clock,” since the Games are a massive corporate travel event.

We dug into Navan booking data to better understand where travelers to the City of Light are coming from, how they’re getting there, and where they’re staying. And while the pandemic disrupted the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo — rendering comparisons moot — we’ve added Paris travel data from 2023 to show the difference between a medal-studded summer and a more traditional one.

On your mark, get set…let’s go!

Bookings Surge in Run-Up to Opening Ceremony

Nearly half — a whopping 46% — of bookings to Paris made on Navan during the course of the Games were made in the two weeks preceding the Opening Ceremonies.

Last-Minute Trip Prices for the 2024 Olympics

Over the last three weeks, booking prices for flights have fluctuated heavily, while other booking types have experienced milder changes. Currently, Flight booking prices are down 14% (or $150), while hotel booking prices have increased by 21% (or $60), now averaging $338 per night.

Unsurprisingly, the Games have sent Paris travel prices soaring across the board. Train prices notched the largest gain over the more typical summer of 2023 — reflective of the intra-continental masses riding the European rails.

Those making the effort to fly in are spending 43% more time once they arrive. Interestingly, though, the number of hotel nights remained flat YoY — most likely a reflection of the large share of French travelers (40% of rail bookings to Paris originate from France, as detailed below) or that travelers are perhaps embarking on post-Games adventures before flying home.

Flight Booking Share by Origin Country

Where are these spectators flying in from? Well, everywhere: nearly 40 countries comprised at least 1% of the total air travel to Paris during the course of the 2024 Olympic Games.

According to Navan data, 42% of the flights originate in the U.S., followed by the United Kingdom (8% share), and Singapore (6% share).

Rail Booking Share by Origin Country

And with rail travel being so popular across Europe, we also took a look at Navan’s rail booking data to see where visitors were coming to Paris from within the continent.

Unsurprisingly, travel from within France was the most popular, taking up 41% of the share of rail bookings, followed by the United Kingdom (24% of rail bookings), and Germany (18% of rail bookings).

Where are spectators staying?

Olympic events are taking place all over Paris, but the majority of the action will be at the Stade de France, on the city’s northern outskirts.

Still, the arena’s arrondissement, the 18th, is only seeing 1% of the booking share. And while the 19th and 20th arrondissements are garnering even less (0.5% each), most travelers are opting for the more popular 8th and 9th arrondissements where they’ll be closer to the cafes and shops of the Champs Elysées and classic sights like the Palais Garnier opera house.

To save the most, book your stay in the following arrondissements:

• 9th: $293 avg/night
• 12th: $297 avg/night
• 18th: $347 avg/night
• 6th: $357 avg/night

For those looking to avoid crowds, stay in the following arrondissements:

• 19th: 0.5% booking share
• 20th: 0.5% booking share
• 5th: 1% booking share
• 4th: 1.5% booking share
• 18th: 1.5% booking share

Conclusion

As with any world-famous event, prices to travel to the Summer Olympics in Paris are way above normal. Plane fares have shot up, and train fares are up even more. Interestingly, though, the spike in hotel prices hasn’t been as pronounced as with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, where accommodation rates jumped 50% in cities during her performances.

Still, according to our data, there are some relative bargains to be found in certain areas of the city. Why? Perhaps it’s because some travelers who might normally travel to Paris over the summer are trying to avoid the crowds.

If you’re one of them, here’s the good news: NBCUniversal is blanketing its channels with coverage, so you’ll have no shortage of outlets to stream and watch the Games.

Learn more about the personal travel benefits that come with the Navan solution.

Methodology

Navan analyzed travel bookings to or in Paris made on the Navan platform from Aug. 1, 2023 – Jul. 27, 2024, with travel dates between Jul. 26 – Aug. 11, 2024.