CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- The Paris Olympics is in full swing, with Chinese athletes performing phenomenally in different events. Chinese tourists are also making a splash, triggering a tourism boom in France and even across Europe. Chongqing tourists are particularly enthusiastic, ranking fourth in the country for the number of visitors to France during the Olympics.

In recent years, sports tourism has become a popular trend. Watching or participating in sports events in different cities has emerged as a new lifestyle for young people, offering a novel way to experience cities and infusing them with tremendous vitality.

During the Olympics, the most popular departure cities for travel to Paris and other major French destinations included Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Nanjing. Chongqing ranked fourth among all cities in China.

The Paris Olympics has also boosted European travel overall. Hotel bookings made by Chinese tourists in Europe increased by 143% year-on-year during the Olympics. Car rentals for sightseeing surged as well, with European car rental bookings rising by 68% year-on-year. Popular car rental destinations included France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, with France topping the list. Routes such as one-day car rental tours in Paris, the France-Italy-Switzerland tours, and tours covering the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany were particularly favored by Chinese visitors.

According to Ctrip data, the top ten Chinese cities from which tourists traveled to Paris were Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Suzhou, Chongqing, and Wuhan. In terms of age demographics, 37% of these travelers were born in the 1980s, 29% in the 1990s, 21% in the 1970s, and 8% in the 2000s. The top ten most popular tourist attractions in France visited by Chinese tourists over the past three days included the Louvre Museum, the Palace of Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, Disneyland Paris, the Musée d'Orsay, the Paris Opera House, Seine River cruises, the Arc de Triomphe, the Seine River, and the Pompidou Centre. The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics also led to a significant increase in sales of Seine River cruise tickets, with a 209% rise in reservations compared to the same period last year. Additionally, ticket reservations increased by 163% for the Eiffel Tower, 108% for the Palace of Versailles, 342% for the Louvre, and 281% for the Musée d'Orsay. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)