Markets 
We’re just days away from Céline Dion’s major return to the stage after a six-year hiatus from the spotlight, and fans have been busy planning trips to see the star in one of her favourite cities.
Paris is proving increasingly popular with international travellers ahead of Dion’s upcoming residency, with new data from Amadeus Travel Intelligence showing an 11% surge in international flight searches to the French capital compared to last year.
Searches from the Americas are driving much of this demand. The US accounts for 26.5% of searches, followed by Brazil at 11% and Canada at 7.4%, together almost representing 45% of global search traffic growth to Paris in the run up to her performances.
The “My Heart Will Go On” singer has described Paris as her “second home” and is set to take the stage at La Defense Arena for 16 concerts in September and October this year, where she will perform her French and English hits. She will then return in May 2027 for a further 10 shows.
In Asia-Pacific markets, the “Céline effect” has seen bookings from Thailand grow by 200% compared to the same period last year, while bookings from Japan have grown by 40%. Other regional markets with a notably greater appetite for Paris travel include Australia, South Korea and India.
Meanwhile, in Europe, travellers account for 26.5% of all searches to Paris during the residency dates, with Italy, Spain and the UK among the markets showing the strongest interest.
The Amadeus data also found that flight bookings are up, too, citing a 5% boost led by the Americas, especially US, Brazilian, Canadian and Mexican travellers.
In Europe, however, searches don’t seem to be translating to actual bookings. The travel analytics platform found Europe taking just a 5% share of booking to Paris, with the majority coming from would-be Spanish and Italian travellers.
Even closer to home, eight out of the top 10 domestic bookings to Paris during Dion’s dates hail from Toulouse, Nice and Ajaccio in Corsica. Bookings from southern France accounted for nearly 79%, Amadeus said, adding that bookings from the Corsican cities of Bastia and Ajaccio show a 55% and 35% year-on-year growth, respectively, during Dion’s residency.
In what Amadeus dubs the “culture tripping” trend of pop culture being at the heart of travel plans, it also points to Dion’s concerts as being a potential factor driving demand for longer hotel stays. It cited hotel data, which pointed to a 6% spike in medium-length stays of six to 13 nights.
Earlier research by Natixis CIB expects her 16 dates this autumn to attract 480,000 spectators to the French capital.
Across spending on tickets, accommodation, transport and dining, Natixis projects that the “impact of Céline Dion’s concerts on activity is estimated between €570 million and nearly €1billion in 2026, with a big impact for the Île de France region”.
Read the full article here
