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On Wednesday, stores on Paris’s high-fashion Avenue Montaigne had to stay closed until 1pm because of the Olympic women’s triathlon course passing on the avenue after triathletes swam in the river Seine.
It was the latest disruption caused by the Olympics, which shut down bridges and made navigating the city — typically Europe’s shopping capital, with the summer months capturing high tourist foot traffic and spend — difficult for anyone on the ground ahead of the Games, when Parisians fled the city and tourists avoided the construction.
Leon Marchand of Team France celebrates after winning gold in the Men’s 400m Individual Medley Final.Phot: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The local luxury sector had been bracing for a pullback in Paris stores in the run-up to the start of the 2024 summer games. “Our experience with the Olympics is that it’s not the best moment for us,” Hermès executive chairman Axel Dumas said during the company earnings calls on 25 July, the eve of the opening ceremony. “We have seen that in London, in Beijing, and we are probably going to see that in Paris. That’s what we budgeted with our Parisian stores,” he said. “Having said that, we expect to have clients all over the world because the clients who won’t be in Paris will be somewhere else.”
The lead-up to the Games resulted in slower tourist traffic than usual. Since the opening ceremony, there are signs of life in Paris again, as the Olympics draw in spectators. Corinne Menegaux, managing director of the Paris tourist office Paris Je t’aime, says that tourists decreased 10 to 15 per cent from 1 June to 24 July compared to the same period in 2023. By 24 July, that turned around. From 24 to 27 July, foreign visitors were up 15 per cent. On the first weekend of the Olympics, meaning 27 and 28 July, German tourist traffic was up 42 per cent, Brazilians up 46 per cent and Japanese visitors up 237 per cent.
Tourists are expected to be up between 10 to 15 per cent during the games compared with the same period last year, with American tourist traffic expected to be up 18 per cent, Menegaux adds. Perhaps it’s the Simone Biles effect? The American gymnast and phenomenon has already won two gold medals in Paris, drawing large crowds of fans. Summer vacationers can now fairly easily go around the city and make it to sports competition venues. For Paris locals, the Olympic spirit has finally kicked in, as Olympians including swimmer Léon Marchand pull in gold medals.
