Paris Olympics’ Non-Bump, a 17-Hour Flight and Marriott’s Biz Travel Portal

Skift Take

Today’s podcast looks at the Olympics’ small foreign impact, new routes from Perth to Paris, and Marriott’s new online travel booking tool.

Rashaad Jorden

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, July 11, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

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Episode Notes

Paris is expecting to see a small bump in overseas visitors for the upcoming Summer Olympics, but no large-scale boom, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. 

Less than 15% of the projected roughly 11 million Olympic visitors will be foreign, according to the city’s tourism board. Paris tourism chief Corinne Menegaux had previously told us that most Olympic ticket holders will be French. Habtemariam notes many travelers are avoiding the popular tourist destination because of the Olympics.  

Meanwhile, international flight bookings to Paris for the Olympic period — from July 26 to August 11 — have increased by 8% from the same timeframe last year. That figure is a substantial decrease from the last pre-Covid Summer Olympics. 

Next, speaking of the French capital, Qantas will debut a roughly 17-hour nonstop flight from Perth to Paris on Friday, writes Airlines Editor Gordon Smith and Reporter Pranjal Pande. 

The Perth-Paris flights will operate four times a week prior to the second week of August, after which flights between the two cities will operate three times a week. Qantas currently operates ultra-long-haul flights from Perth to both London and Rome. The company has said that roughly nine in every 10 seats on its Perth-London route have been occupied. 

Finally, Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill provides more information about Marriott’s new online travel booking portal for small- to medium-sized businesses. 

The new booking platform is part of Marriott’s strategy to increase direct bookings from corporate travelers. A Marriott executive said existing booking tools don’t satisfy the needs of business travelers. Small- and medium-sized businesses have become a larger part of the company’s guest mix coming out of the pandemic. O’Neill notes Marriott sees an opportunity to simplify the often complicated business travel process, with companies increasingly looking for more efficient solutions. 

Presenter/Producer: Jane Alexander