The Louvre was filled with tourists around the 2024 Olympics.
LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images
Paris estimated 11 million people visited the city during the Olympics, fewer than expected.
Photos show how Olympics-related closures and crowds affected visitors' experiences.
This story is part of "Road to Paris," a series chronicling athletes' and spectators' experiences at the Olympic Games.
You might assume hosting the Olympics is great for a city's economy thanks to an influx of visitors staying in hotels, dining out, and enjoying the sights.
Ahead of this year's Olympics, Paris tried to mitigate losses by relying on existing venues and making detailed plans for the future of other structures, including the Olympic Village.
But it was unclear how many visitors would pay to travel to Paris during the Games. Several airlines said they anticipated a loss in revenue as fewer people appeared to be interested in traveling to Paris than in previous summers.
"Unless you're going to the Olympics, people aren't going to Paris," Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC in July. He estimated the airline would lose up to $100 million because of the Olympics.
But as the Games got underway and spectators poured into the stadiums and streets, it became clear that Paris was still bustling — though with sports fans rather than shoppers.
A Forbes report said the French newspaper Le Monde estimated that 1.3 million people visited at least one so-called fan zone, or area for watching sports, in Paris during the Olympics. France's tourism minister, Olivia Grégoire, told the French paper La Tribune Dimanche, per Reuters, that museum attendance was up by 25% compared with the same period in 2023 and that the number of hotel guests increased by 16%.
Visa, the Olympics' payment partner, reported a 42% increase in customers in Paris during the first week of the Games compared with the same week last summer.
Overall, the Paris tourism office estimated 11 million people visited the city during the Olympics, down from its initial estimate of 15 million. Still, 11 million was a 4% increase from 2023's visitor numbers for the same period, it said.
It remains to be seen whether visitor rates will stay consistent for the Paralympics, which kicked off in Paris this week. But as evidenced by other host cities, Paris is likely to feel the effects of these games for years to come.
Here's what it looked like to be a tourist in Paris during this year's Olympics.
The Olympics' effect on tourism in Paris was felt before they started. Streets and landmarks were fenced off in June.
These fences were impossible to miss in the weeks leading up to the 2024 Olympics.
Chesnot/Getty Images
Paris' metro systems are normally the fastest way for visitors to get around the city, but some stations and connections were closed for the Olympics.
The city also created a Games Pass, which made many of its landmarks off-limits without a QR code.
Paris is built around the Seine, the river that winds through the city. But bleachers took over the beautiful riverside walkways.
The bleachers held many of the 300,000 spectators at the opening ceremony.
Though the river has been too polluted to swim in for 100 years, organizers made the controversial decision to have some of the swimming events in the Seine.
Eventually, athletes did swim in the Seine, but some weren't too happy about the water quality.
Fences obstructed visitors' views of the Seine.
People walked past fences that looked like cages.
David Ramos/Getty Images
Before the Olympics, the city installed more than 44,000 metal barriers.
Some shopkeepers weren't too pleased.
"In July, it felt like August, and in August, it felt like COVID," one told Le Monde, alluding to the annual exodus of Parisians going on vacation. Many shops, bakeries, and markets shut down for the month and reopen in September.
Ahead of the opening ceremony on July 26, train stations were in chaos after a coordinated attack on multiple lines. People were stranded for hours.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers were affected by the attack on the train network.
Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu/Getty Images
The night before the opening ceremony, the French railway system was the victim of what France's train operator, the SNCF, described as "malicious acts."
Three major lines were targeted in arson attacks, affecting an estimated 800,000 travelers over the weekend.
The opening ceremony took place almost entirely along the Seine, drawing crowds to its banks.
Each country's team sailed down the Seine.
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
An estimated 300,000 people crowded together to watch teams float by. French officials said an earlier cap of about 600,000 people was cut in half to ensure spectators' safety.
NBCUniversal said nearly 29 million people watched on TV, the highest viewership since the 2012 Olympics in London.
The bleachers were filled with fans excited to see the performances.
Notre-Dame, in the background, has been closed for repairs since a fire caused severe damage in 2019.
MAEVA DESTOMBES/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images
Though it rained during the opening ceremony, that didn't deter the crowds.
Lady Gaga, Gojira, Celine Dion, Aya Nakamura, and Rim'K were among the musical acts.
Normally the park in front of the Eiffel Tower is open to anyone. During the Olympics, it was used for the opening ceremony.
The area in front of the Eiffel Tower is usually grassy.
François-Xavier Marit-Pool/Getty Images
The stage was designed to mirror the Eiffel Tower above it.
The landmark was still open to visitors during the Olympics, except for July 26, when the opening ceremony was held.
After the opening ceremony, Eiffel Tower Stadium became a sports venue.
Beach volleyball was held at Eiffel Tower Stadium.
Julian Finney/Getty Images
The temporary venue, which can hold almost 13,000 people, hosted beach volleyball at the Olympics and will host blind football during the Paralympics.
That's not the only role the Eiffel Tower played at this year's Olympics. The middle of each medal has a piece of metal from the structure.
People could gather and watch events at fan zones — the city said 150,000 spectators visited a fan zone during the first weekend alone.
People from all over the world came together to watch the Olympics.
OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP/Getty Images
"It's going well," Rachid Biad, a fan-zone coordinator, told Le Monde.
More than 20 fan zones were set up across the city. One at the foot of the Eiffel Tower — on the other side from the stadium — was expected to get 13,000 spectators a day.
But many of these fan zones were in public parks. To see the Tuileries Garden in all its beauty, visitors will have to come back after the Olympics.
The Tuileries Garden is between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.
Natacha Pisarenko/PA Images/Getty Images
Instead of a beautiful garden, visitors saw a sea of phones.
On days with biking races, getting around the streets of Paris was difficult.
Some biking events were held on the streets, which made for many road closures.
JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP/Getty Images
Various roads zigzagging through the city were closed from three hours before a race to 15 minutes after the last competitor finished, making it more difficult than usual to sightsee.
Paris is a city of bridges — it has 37 — but many were temporarily closed during the Games, and people traveling around the city had to take detours.
The iconic rings were placed outside the Louvre's pyramid.
The French tourism minister said attendance was up by 25% at museums during the Olympics.
LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images
The museum, which remained open during the Olympics, was also a backdrop for the opening ceremony.
The Arc de Triomphe is now adorned with the Paralympic logo.
The Paralympics go from August 28 to September 8.
Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile/Getty Images
The Paralympics are underway until September 8.
The Paralympics have become more popular since their inception in 1960. This year's events are set to be the most watched, as more than 160 countries have confirmed broadcast agreements, the International Paralympic Committee said.
Organizers said on Wednesday that 2 million tickets had been sold for the Paralympics, with 500,000 tickets still available.
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