Only Paris Could Host the Olympics and Not See a Bump in Tourism

In what seems like the most French thing about the upcoming Summer Olympics (well, maybe the second most), the city of Paris appears extremely unfazed by the 1.5 million tourists expected to descend upon its streets for the games. Pourquoi, you ask? Well, because that’s basically what happens every summer in Paris anyway.

As the fifth most-visited city in the world, Paris welcomes more than 15 million tourists every year. However, according to a recent report, many international travelers are steering clear of the French capital this summer with the French themselves making up the vast majority of the Summer Games’ ticket buyers. Additionally, French airlines expect to lose $150-$200 million in revenue as international tourists attempt to avoid the rush of domestic tourists heading to Paris to watch people run very fast and jump very high.

If you’re looking for a more laidback French Olympics experience this summer, one with fewer crowds but certainly more umbrella drinks, may we suggest heading to Tahiti for the surfing portion of the games instead? We hear it’s quite nice there this (and every other) time of year.