hotels in regional metropolises are full, a disappointing occupancy rate in Paris

Most cities that hosted Rugby World Cup matches benefited from “good attendance” hotel and para-hotel industry, reports the Alliance France Tourisme (AFT) in a report published Wednesday, November 1. Nice and Lyon, among others, experienced an occupancy rate of around 88% during the matches, which marks a respective evolution of +7.2 points and +8.5 points compared to the previous year at the same period.

In the cities that hosted the matches, there were “peaks exceeding 95% [d’occupation] on certain meetings”rejoiced the AFT. “Cities that hosted England, Wales and Ireland matches were able to show high attendance rates thanks to the influx of supporters from these countries”, underlined the Alliance. The entire sector, from “super-budget” to high-end hotels, recorded an increase in performance “thanks in particular to average price increases of between 10% and 30%”. On the day of certain matches, this increase “reached more than 200%”according to the AFT.

But the occupancy rates for Paris and Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) on match evenings, “are not optimal”, with -4 points compared to 2022, notes the AFT, without offering an explanation. From September 8 to October 28, the period during which the Rugby World Cup took place, “attendance is down slightly compared to last year [-1,1 point pour un prix moyen en hausse de 14,4% et un chiffre d’affaires en hausse de 12,9%], mainly in Paris and Ile-de-France”summarizes the Alliance France Tourisme.