Olympics fever drives surge of Chinese, Japanese, South Korean visitors to Paris
- Travellers from those countries top the list from Asia-Pacific region, and their teams’ performances so far have made the trip worthwhile
Sports fans from China and Japan are propelling their countries to the top of the list of travellers from Asia cheering the Summer Olympics in Paris.
The number of travellers from China and Japan showed some of the biggest increases globally to Paris during the July 24 to August 11 period covering the Olympics, according to data from travel analytics firm ForwardKeys.
Visitors from China, Japan and South Korea also topped the list of trips originating from Asia-Pacific countries bound for Paris in the period, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysis of ForwardKeys data.
So far, they have had plenty to celebrate, with Japan leading the medal tally with six golds, including wins in judo and fencing. China and South Korea have each won five gold, with both countries dominating the shooting competition.
Asian travellers headed to the Games are also doing it in style. China and Japan are among the countries showing the biggest gains for premium travel bookings – demand doubled among travellers from both countries compared with the same period last year, according to ForwardKeys.
Chinese tourists are showing the highest booking volume for suites and king-size hotel rooms among travellers on Trip.com’s platform during the Olympics period, and the average spending per Chinese tourist has risen by 65 per cent from last year, with an increase in five-star hotel bookings, the travel agency said.