The Rugby World Cup boosts the Paris tourist season. According to the Paris Tourism Barometer for September 2023, which the city's tourist office prepared, the number of foreign visitors has increased by 10.6% compared to the same period in 2022 over the first 20 days of September.
Two peak days with the highest number of visitors have been identified. The first peak was observed on Friday, September 8, during the France-New Zealand match. The second peak was observed on Saturday, September 9, during the Australia-Georgia match. On September 9, the number of Australian tourists was 30,000, representing an increase of 113% compared to the previous year. On the other hand, more than 6,000 New Zealand visitors were recorded in Greater Paris on September 8. This represents an increase of 220.4% compared to the previous year.
Recovery in key source markets is still hampered
The ongoing sporting event is having a positive impact on air traffic. As per current projections, international air arrivals in October-November are expected to be 2.4% higher than in 2019. The countries with World Cup teams are seeing the most significant growth in air traffic, with Australia (8,900 passengers, +34%), Ireland (10,500 passengers, +35.6%), Argentina (4,500 passengers, +40.7%), New Zealand (2,200 passengers, +174.9%) and South Africa (6,600 passengers, +448%) experiencing the fastest growth.
However, the recovery of some long-haul source markets is still facing several challenges, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, the slow resumption of air travel between China and France (with a 53.4% decrease in the last quarter of 2023), and the complex economic situation in Brazil.