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Touching Down and Taking Off: Sabre Reveals Olympics Travel Trends

  • 06 Sep 2024
  • Text by Sabre
Game-changer: Olympics fueled influx of travel to France – but also an exodus ahead of the Games  

During the Olympics, France attracted millions of travellers as anticipated. However, the summer sporting event not only drew visitors to the host cities but also saw an increase in outbound travel, according to Sabre’s booking analysis.

With the Summer Games having drawn to a close, Sabre’s insights show that air travel to the main host cities during the Olympic Games period was up 31% compared to the previous year. But, what also increased was the number of travellers leaving host cities ahead of the event. And, while the Olympics boosted travel for solo travellers and couples, the event appeared to cause a decrease in family travel, with those with children seeking out quieter destinations away from the excitement of the Games.  

Sabre has taken a deep dive into the travel impact of the Olympics, and revealed 11 key findings:

Infographic: Sabre
Directions of Travel  

The Paris Olympics were highly anticipated. Organizers of the previous Games in Tokyo banned spectators as a COVID control measure, so sports fans were eager to watch the Olympics in person this time around. And, as expected, millions of local and international spectators attended the events, with Sabre booking data showing a 31% uptick in international air travel into the main host cities in the first week of the Games.  

Paris, where most events took place, enjoyed a big uplift in travel, with an increase of 33% in inbound international air passengers when looking at the week of the opening ceremony. But other host cities, which hosted events including football, handball and sailing, also saw the Olympic effect. Lille saw a bigger increase in travellers in percentage terms, with air travel up 51% in the first week of the Games, while Nantes had a 35% increase, and Bordeaux had a 33% lift. 

Notably, Paris trips were concentrated in the first two weeks of the Olympics, with the opening ceremony week recording the highest increase of passengers compared to last year. However, other host cities saw a boost in the weeks leading up to the Olympics. It could be that travellers decided to take a longer vacation to explore those regions of France before heading to the Olympic events. Olympic organizers specifically encouraged travellers to explore each host city, with suggestions of non-Games-related attractions on the official Games website.  

Inbound Travel Data to host cities during the Olympics period. The 1st week is the week of the opening ceremony, while the 3rd week is the week of the closing ceremony. Image: Sabre

However, not everyone was heading in the same direction of travel. As well as the mass influx of travellers excited to see their favorite teams and athletes, there was also an increase in outbound travel from France in the week before the Games, with outbound travel from the host cities up 13% overall in the week before opening ceremony week, compared to the same calendar week last year.  

Oubound Travel Data from host cities during the Olympics period. The 1st week indicated the week of the opening ceremony. Image: Sabre
Last-minute Travel but Long-term Planning

Most travellers arrived for the Games in a last-minute flurry. The day before the opening ceremony was the busiest inbound travel day, with 76% more inbound travel on that day when compared to the same day last year. 

The year-on-year percentage increase for travel to Olympic host cities in the days leading up to, and beyond the opening ceremony. Image: Sabre

However, while they generally arrived the day before, travellers typically planned their Olympic trips well in advance.  

Bookings made to host cities more than six months, eight months, and ten months in advance were significantly up year-on-year for the first week of the Olympics as most passengers made sure to secure their airline seats many months ahead of the Games.  

There were 165% more bookings into host cities made more than 10 months in advance for the week of the opening ceremony, compared to the same week the year before.  

Percentage increase of advance bookings in the lead up to the Games. Image: Sabre
Fares Up and Down 

While fares to host cities were generally higher year-on-year for travellers making their bookings ahead of time, fare prices then typically decreased for bookings made for Olympic dates in the first two quarters of 2024. 

The highest average fare prices were 10 months before the event, matching the high demand we saw for advance bookings. Average fares for bookings made 10 months in advance were up 88% for the week before the Olympics, and then steadily reduced until they were below comparable dates for last year.  

Chart 5
Percentage Increase/Decrease of Fare by Booking Month. Image: Sabre
Travelling Companions  

There was a significant difference in Olympic travel behaviour depending on who was travelling with whom. Solo and couple bookings to host cities were up during the weeks of the Olympics, versus last year, with solo travel showing a 69% increase and couples travel up by 31% overall. It may be that rather than travelling solo as such, groups of friends travelled to the Olympics, but made separate bookings. 

However, families were much less likely to have decided to go to the Olympics than solo travellers or couples. It’s probable they opted to have their summer vacation in quieter destinations. 

Bookings by Group Type - the increase (or decrease) during the Olympic weeks, compared with the same dates last year. Image: Sabre
Airline Capacity Up and Down 

As expected, airlines increased capacity to France for the three-week duration of the Olympics (including the weeks of the opening and closing ceremonies) to meet demand for travel to the Games, recording a 7% year-on-year increase. 

However, domestic capacity shows a more nuanced picture. Overall, domestic airline capacity within France actually decreased during the Olympic period, down 4% versus last year. This could be partially due to the ban introduced in France last year on short flights that could instead be served by a 2.5-hour train ride. However, key routes linking Olympic cities that required a longer flight, such as Nice to Paris, and Marseilles to Paris increased capacity during the Olympics period by up to 21%.  

Traveling from Where?  

Olympics travellers to Paris came from around the globe, but which nations were most likely to have been at the Games? 

Increase in Travel across Global Regions during the Olympics. Image: Sabre

For travel during the first week of the Olympics, we saw the highest boost year-on-year from travellers from Asia Pacific, closely followed by those from North America. This increase was driven particularly by travellers from the US, Japan, and China, who saw some of the highest year-on-year increases. Travel from other regions was also up, albeit not as dramatically. 

New York and Tokyo were the top cities flying to France during the Olympics. Paris, Marseilles, and Lyon saw a significant boost for travellers coming from New York, while Paris, Marseilles, Bordeaux, and Nantes saw the most increased interest from Tokyo. Travellers from Japan appear to have headed to see their national football teams in the cities away from Paris.  

While travel wasn’t up overall for travel into Tahiti, where Olympic surfing events took place, there were significant uplifts from certain parts of the world into Tahiti’s international airport. For example, travel from Tokyo to Tahiti was up 1450% in the first week of the Olympics, and up 2200% from Nantes. 

Looking Ahead to the Paralympics 

The Paralympics are also leading to an uptick in travel. While overall travel to Paris remains slightly below last year, New York and Tokyo are once more leading the way when it comes to sporting travel. Travel from New York to Paris on August 27th, the day before the Paralympics starts, is up 79%, and from Tokyo up 71% compared to last year.   

Top 10 Cities for Outbound Travel to Olympic Host Cities - Percentage change showing the amount of air travel compared to last year. Image: Sabre
A Complex Picture

Sabre’s travel analysis highlights the intricate dynamics that major events like the Olympics create for the travel industry. The Olympics, to borrow a sporting analogy, have proven to be a game of two halves. On one side, there’s a significant uptick in travel to host cities, driven by enthusiastic solo travellers and couples eager to witness the games. On the other side, families and other groups have opted to avoid the Olympic rush, preferring quieter destinations. 

This divergence underscores the importance for the travel ecosystem—including airlines, travel agencies, and hoteliers—to use advanced technology to better understand and cater to the diverse needs of travellers. As the industry looks ahead to future global events, having the capability to anticipate and respond to individual travel preferences will be crucial. By doing so, the travel sector can ensure it provides tailored experiences, whether travellers are heading to the heart of the action or seeking respite from it. 

Sabre’s analysis concentrated on travel trends for the main Olympic host cities of Paris. Data runs up to end June 2024. Data sources: Sabre Market Intelligence MIDT, Sabre Market Intelligence Ticketing, OAG Capacity data

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