As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach this weekend, concerns over sluggish ticket sales are growing. An increasing number of unsold resale tickets raises fears that some soccer matches may experience low attendance.
According to the Financial Times, the resale site for the Paris Olympics has seen a significant increase in ticket inventory, growing from approximately 180,000 tickets a month ago to 271,637.
Initially, the organizers only sold tickets bundled for three sports, meaning that even if spectators wanted to watch just the taekwondo events, they had to purchase tickets for fencing and judo as well.
To address these complaints, organizers established a dedicated official site where fans could resell tickets for events they chose not to attend. However, resale tickets have not been selling as well as expected, primarily because many Olympic tickets are still available for purchase directly from sources other than the resale site.
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, stated on the 21st that hundreds of thousands of tickets, in addition to those listed on the resale site, remain unsold.
Indeed, the official ticket sales site for the Paris Olympics still offers tickets for popular events like the men’s 100m final and opening ceremony. Despite resale tickets being priced similarly to those on the official site, buyers face an extra 10% fee. This discourages potential buyers from opting for resale tickets, especially since ample tickets are still available directly from the official site.
This situation prompts the question: why do people buy resale tickets when they can easily find tickets on the official sales site?
One particular concern is that 80,000 of the tickets being resold are for football matches. This raises the possibility of playing football games in front of empty stands.
Meanwhile, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee has proudly announced a record-breaking sales figure of 8.85 million tickets, attributing this success to their strategy of selling tickets in bundles of three. However, concerns about lower-than-expected ticket sales have led airlines and hotels to reduce prices, according to the Financial Times.