For Jennifer Iroanya, a 34-year-old publicist from Dallas, Texas, attending the Olympics to support black female athletes — including Simone Biles and Sha’Carri Richardson — is a must, regardless of the high cost.
“It’s great to see black women who are making it.” Iroanya, who goes by Jeniro, says. In total, Iroanya spent about $5,000 to $6,000 to participate in this year’s Games, which does not include estimated food or local transportation costs. “[Even] If it was too expensive, I wouldn’t have given up. I would have figured out a way to make that happen.”
For the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ironanya spending is the norm. International spectators can expect to pay at least US$5,000 to attend – including hotel costs, airfare and event tickets – experts say, although prices vary largely depending on spectators’ accommodation options. participants. Experts say a trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics will be more expensive than in previous years due to the value of the host country’s currency and the cost of living, although it is difficult to make a similar comparison with the most recent summer Olympics in Tokyo or the Winter Olympics in China in 2022, which fewer people attended because of the pandemic. The cost of getting tickets to the Games, however, is still on par with other Summer Olympics in Europe.
“It’s a lot like London [in 2012],” says Ken Hanscom, who works in sports and entertainment technology as Ticket Manager’s chief operating officer. (He is also a trustee of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation.) Hanscom has participated in every Summer Olympics game since 2012.
Flights
Janice Moskoff, 50 years old travel writer and blogger Chicago-based, who booked her accommodations in July 2023, paid $3,737 for round-trip airfare for her family, including 160,000 air miles. In total, however, she expects to spend at least $15,000 on the Olympics with her family – not including food.
The average round-trip airfare to Paris is currently valued at $827, according to Priceline data shared with TIME.
On July 1, Air France and Transavia France published a Press release saying that travel to and from the French capital was “lagging behind other major European cities”. The expectation is that tourism rates will normalize after the end of the Games. “Part of the reason is access,” says Hanscom. “There are all the security zones around the Eiffel Tower and some of the major landmarks… And I think people think, ‘Hey, because the Olympics are going to be there, it’s going to be more crowded. Why would I?’”
Hotel costs
Hotel costs are currently above average in Paris, but costs are falling. The price of a 5-star hotel room for August was valued at around 840 euros ($908) in mid-June, compared to the 931 euros ($1,006) someone would have paid if they had booked on May 13 . The lighthouse report shows. “In some cases, [booking a trip] would be easier 1720643104less stressful than if you were trying to do this six months or a year ago,” says Hanscom.
Moskoff paid nearly $5,000 to stay at a hotel in the Saint Germain de Près area of Paris that sleeps four people for five nights. Ironanya paid more than US$2,000 for accommodation for six nights.
The average nightly hotel rate is almost $400 currently. In 2012, London hotel prices for a four-star hotel room ranged between £200 and £415 (about US$353 to US$733 if you follow the 2012 conversion rate and take inflation into account ). according to Reuters,
France is already one of the main tourist destinations in the world and has its high season in the summer months of July and August. Thanks to the Olympics, which begin on July 26th, the country expects to receive between 2.3 and 3.1 million visitors.
However, tourism rates in Paris are currently lower than usual because international tourists may be trying to avoid large crowds flocking to the city for the Olympics, experts say.
This could be beneficial for those booking a trip to the Paris Olympics on a whim. The Paris tourism department reports that international arrivals fell 14.8% for July, compared to the same month in 2023. Hotel booking rates for the first 10 days of July are forecast to reach an average of 60% capacity, a 10% decline from the previous year.
See more information: Your guide to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics: when and how to watch – and what to expect
Tickets for the Games
Tickets are another cost to take into consideration. Ten million tickets went on sale for the Paris Olympics, an increase of more than 2 million tickets compared to 2016 in Rio and 2020 in Tokyo. The price varies greatly depending on the event. Women’s artistic gymnastics final There are tickets ranging from 125 to 690 euros (about 135 to 746 dollars). Swimming semifinals and finals are similarly priced, although lower-tier tickets cost €85 ($92). Prices may also vary depending on whether the event is female or male. Tickets for men’s basketball cost up to €980 ($1,059), compared to women’s tickets which cost €510 ($551). The men’s 100m final in Paris also costs €980 ($1,059) for the most expensive tickets. The same event was £725 (almost $1,282, accounting for inflation) in London in 2012, per the Guardian.
Moskoff is spending a total of $3,204 for herself and her family on tickets to track and field, women’s water polo and beach volleyball.
“The value of the host country’s currency has a significant impact on the accessibility of the Olympic Games to international visitors. For example, during the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Brazilian real was relatively weak against the euro and the US dollar, making it more affordable for visitors,” says Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Lighthouse, a company that tracks data for travel and hospitality. industry. During the 2018 Summer Olympics, for example, more than half of the tickets it cost 70 reais (US$30) or less, and the cheapest ticket was less than US$20.
For some fans, it will be worth it. “We are constantly amazed to see the best athletes in the world compete to win first place,” says Moskoff. “It’s as close as you can get to watching superheroes in real life.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
