A sector strongly affected by the health crisis

A succession of cancellations and postponements have been the daily lot of actors in the MICE sector over the last two years. According to a survey conducted by Atout France, 54% of the events planned for the spring and summer of 2020 have disappeared from the calendars and 20% have been postponed. At the same time, 21% were maintained but in a hybrid format in order to ensure the safety of all.

The entire industry was thus shrouded in uncertainty about its future. This uncertainty had an even greater impact on Paris, which had a prime position among international congress and exhibition destinations. Indeed, the City of Light was at the top of the world ranking established by the Icca (International Congress and Convention Association) in 2018 and 2019 with 237 international events. France ranked third in the world with 595 international events, behind the United States and Germany.

The Paris - Ile de France Chamber of Commerce and Industry shared figures showing the extent of the damage the pandemic has had on MICE activity in the destination. This report shows that 202 trade fairs and 432 congresses were cancelled, postponed or digitised. That is 45% of the number of annual trade fairs. Nearly 5.4 million visitors and congress participants and 58,000 companies had to cancel or postpone their sales, resulting in a loss of 3.2 billion euros in terms of economic spin-offs.

Paris is not the only French city to be heavily dependent on business tourism; Cannes, with its Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, has also suffered significant financial losses. Due to the health crisis, 17 events were cancelled in 2020, resulting in a loss of around 800 million euros in economic benefits. The destination's hotel operators...