Hotel performance in Lille in 2014 is at the top of the chart for French cities. Occupancy rates have made a clear recovery (+1.9 points for the occupancy rate on the first 11 months). These figures are driven by the hosting of many athletic and business events, and increased accessibility thanks to new air and rail connections, paticulalry the opening in April 2014 of the Thalys line direct from Lille to Amsterdam.
While most major French cities outside Paris report slightly slower business in the first 11 months of 2014 (read our article), the area around Lille saw its occupancy rate increase by 1.9 point on the period from January to November. While the RevPAR (VAT excl.) is up 0.3%, it is driven by a clear increase in occupancy that has not yet affected average daily rates, which are down 2.7% on the first 11 months of the year. In other words, Lille's hoteliers have almost completely absorbed the 3 point increase in TVA from 2014, which affected their revenue. And yet the monthly growth curve offers gradual improvement in the price trend throughout 2014, particularly thanks to occupancy rates posted regular growth since April. This should support the evolution of prices in 2015, and thus a favorable evolution of the RevPAR.
Alongside the stabilisation of the hotel supply in 2014, tourist arrivals increased this year thanks to several events held in the agglomeration that caused the high influx of visitors that increased occupancy rates.
First the city became more accessible allowing better service to points throughout Europe and led to a significant increase in occupancy at hotels near Lille's stations. In addition to the opening in April 2014 of the Thalys from Amsterdam to Lille, which enabled an increase in Dutch presence in the city's hotels, a TGV Lyria connecting Lille and Geneva opened in December 2014. It will complement the new air connection between the two cities by the low-cost company Easyjet in 2013, which already increased the influx of tourists from Switzerland. The Lille-Flandres station also saw its capacity to handle passenger traffic increase by 30% following the reorganization of lines in 2011 by the French Railroad.
As for athletic events, the city gained an advantage in 2014, first with the semi finals of the Top 14 Rugby Championship on May 16 and 17 in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, which led to a 3.2% increase in the monthly occupancy rate (or a 2.5 point increase to 67.3% in 2014). Cyclists in the Tour de France also stopped in the agglomeration in July, giving a further boost business (this should happen again in 2015 with the extended loop of the Tour de France in the North). This event was followed by the arrival of tennis players with the finals of the Davis Cup held on November 21 to 23.
The Villeneuve-d’Ascq area, near the stadium, is thus the area with the strongest growth in results in 2014. It was driven by the wealth of Lille's current sports events, but also by the increased strength of the local market, which had many openings recently: the Hôtel B&B Lille Grand Stade and the Hôtel Park Inn by Radisson Grand Stade in 2012, the Tulip Inn Lille Grand Stade residence in 2014… The increased volume of new properties and that of their direct competitors contributes to the increased activity of this sector in 2014. Villeneuve-d’Ascq gained market shares in 2014, and is, along with the area surrounding its train stations, one of the current growth motors in the Metropolitan Lille region.
The increase in occupancy and tourism revenues in the agglomeration of Lille is also due to a more global context of tourism growth in Metropolitan Lille, and especially with regard to business. In 2013, the city climbed to 63rd position in Europe in the ICCA ranking, with 22 meetings, versus 138th in 2012 with 8 meetings. In 2014, Lille continued to develop its reputation, particularly by hosting the Congrès Santé Travail which brought in 3,000 convention goers in June, Unimev in July, Euroskills (more than 100,000 visitors to Lille Grand Palais) and the 25th Convention Nationale des Intercommunalités in October, and the Congrès du Sommeil was no sleeper with more than 2,600 participants in November.
Leisure tourism is also being affirmed with satisfactory presence at the Grande Braderie flea market on September 6 and 7, and the continuation of the city's cultural program, begun in 2004 with the city's nomination as "European Capital of Culture", with Lille 3000. Lille's agglomeration, as well as the Nord Pas de Calais region overall, has long implemented a tourism strategy focussed on Culture. Christian Berger, president of the Regional tourism committee, described it in greater detail in an interview with Hospitality-On at the last TourInvest Forum :
Alongside the stabilisation of the hotel supply in 2014, tourist arrivals increased this year thanks to several events held in the agglomeration that caused the high influx of visitors that increased occupancy rates.
First the city became more accessible allowing better service to points throughout Europe and led to a significant increase in occupancy at hotels near Lille's stations. In addition to the opening in April 2014 of the Thalys from Amsterdam to Lille, which enabled an increase in Dutch presence in the city's hotels, a TGV Lyria connecting Lille and Geneva opened in December 2014. It will complement the new air connection between the two cities by the low-cost company Easyjet in 2013, which already increased the influx of tourists from Switzerland. The Lille-Flandres station also saw its capacity to handle passenger traffic increase by 30% following the reorganization of lines in 2011 by the French Railroad.
As for athletic events, the city gained an advantage in 2014, first with the semi finals of the Top 14 Rugby Championship on May 16 and 17 in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, which led to a 3.2% increase in the monthly occupancy rate (or a 2.5 point increase to 67.3% in 2014). Cyclists in the Tour de France also stopped in the agglomeration in July, giving a further boost business (this should happen again in 2015 with the extended loop of the Tour de France in the North). This event was followed by the arrival of tennis players with the finals of the Davis Cup held on November 21 to 23.
The Villeneuve-d’Ascq area, near the stadium, is thus the area with the strongest growth in results in 2014. It was driven by the wealth of Lille's current sports events, but also by the increased strength of the local market, which had many openings recently: the Hôtel B&B Lille Grand Stade and the Hôtel Park Inn by Radisson Grand Stade in 2012, the Tulip Inn Lille Grand Stade residence in 2014… The increased volume of new properties and that of their direct competitors contributes to the increased activity of this sector in 2014. Villeneuve-d’Ascq gained market shares in 2014, and is, along with the area surrounding its train stations, one of the current growth motors in the Metropolitan Lille region.
The increase in occupancy and tourism revenues in the agglomeration of Lille is also due to a more global context of tourism growth in Metropolitan Lille, and especially with regard to business. In 2013, the city climbed to 63rd position in Europe in the ICCA ranking, with 22 meetings, versus 138th in 2012 with 8 meetings. In 2014, Lille continued to develop its reputation, particularly by hosting the Congrès Santé Travail which brought in 3,000 convention goers in June, Unimev in July, Euroskills (more than 100,000 visitors to Lille Grand Palais) and the 25th Convention Nationale des Intercommunalités in October, and the Congrès du Sommeil was no sleeper with more than 2,600 participants in November.
Leisure tourism is also being affirmed with satisfactory presence at the Grande Braderie flea market on September 6 and 7, and the continuation of the city's cultural program, begun in 2004 with the city's nomination as "European Capital of Culture", with Lille 3000. Lille's agglomeration, as well as the Nord Pas de Calais region overall, has long implemented a tourism strategy focussed on Culture. Christian Berger, president of the Regional tourism committee, described it in greater detail in an interview with Hospitality-On at the last TourInvest Forum :
