Paris 2024 Olympics The world’s largest sporting event will take place against the backdrop of iconic sights in the City of Light

Tour operators seeking to give clients a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris should sprint, not jog, if they want to lock in tickets and hotel accommodations for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Officially titled Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, the Summer Games will be the biggest event in Paris’ long and glorious history. The City of Light last hosted the Olympics a century ago, in 1924, and did the same in 1900. (London also has hosted the event three times.)

• BY RANDY MINK

Next summer’s competitions will feature 32 sports, from archery, badminton and swimming to weightlifting, wrestling and water polo. These include four newly introduced sports, all closely associated with youth: breaking (or breakdancing, making its Olympic debut), sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing. Dates for Olympic Games Paris 2024 are July 26 to August 11, while the Paralympic Games will run from August 23 to September 8.

Starting with Paris 2024, the sale of hospitality packages for the Games is being centralized via a single provider. For the first time, tour operators (and individuals) can go to one source to secure hotel rooms and guaranteed event tickets.

In this new, groundbreaking model, On Location, a global e-commerce platform that creates customized premium experiences at major events worldwide, partners with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the official and exclusive hospitality provider for Paris 2024 (and Milano Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028).

On Location and a handful of authorized sub-distributors (one in Canada but none in the U.S.) are the only safe sources through which ticketinclusive packages can be purchased.

The Paris 2024 Ticketing Program is the only other risk-free way to secure attendance to the Games.

On Location’s Will Whiston, executive vice president, Olympics and Paralympics, says now is the time to book as “this is the most high-in-demand Olympics in recent memory,” with interest even exceeding that of the 2012 Olympics in London, the last time the Summer Games were held in Europe.

The post-pandemic desire to gather for a big event, coupled with the chance to visit one of the world’s most popular tourist cities at a prime time, largely accounts for the demand, Whiston observes. (International tourists were not allowed at the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021.) The Paris 2024 Ticketing Program reports record sales.

Whiston points out that hotels will be at a premium, acknowledging that “there are only so many hotel room nights” in Paris during the Games. On Location has spent the last two years securing blocks of rooms at 3-, 4- and 5-star properties.

On Location offers both Travel Packages (event tickets, hotel, sightseeing and various amenities bundled) and Hospitality Packages (event tickets but no hotel).

More than 90 percent of Olympic sports are available with an On Location Hospitality offer, which could be at the competition site or a convenient citycenter location. A July 27 beach volleyball Hospitality Package at the Eiffel Tower Stadium, for example, includes pre-event access to an on-site, Olympic-themed hospitality lounge with TV screens broadcasting coverage throughout the space. Other Hospitality plans provide lounge access before, during and after the sporting session. Fans can choose from four levels of service at the on-site hospitality venues—Gold, Silver, Bronze and Private Box.

Those who choose the entry-level Hospitality In The City packages (including sports event ticket) will be invited to share in the excitement of Clubhouse 24, located in the city center’s Palais de Tokyo, the largest contemporary art center in Europe. A groundbreaking concept developed especially for Paris 2024, this hospitality and entertainment zone offers easy access on foot or via public transportation to 15 competition venues. The Clubhouse 24 main stage will feature live music performances, sports demonstrations, interactive fun and special guest appearances. Guests can enjoy a host of food and beverage at the Parisian-inspired food market. Tour operators interested in a package for groups of 11 or more can submit the online form at https://corporateHospitality. paris2024.org. For individuals and smaller groups, the e-commerce platform is https://hospitalitytravelpackages. paris2024.org.