The impact of major sporting events on the hotel business is well established, with the Paris Olympics and the Rugby World Cup being just two examples. The Champions League final was no exception, with fans flocking to Munich to cheer on their team. Munich's hoteliers proved to be the real winners of this final, so eagerly awaited by PSG fans.
Soaring air ticket prices
Almost 18,000 PSG fans stormed the stadium in the Bavarian capital for the Champions League final. And the vast majority of them travelled by plane, as shown by the number of searches for flights between Paris and Munich, which jumped by 465% once the Paris team had qualified on 7 May.
This considerable interest led to an explosion in the price of plane tickets, with a return ticket costing up to €867, according to the comparator Liligo. The price differential for this famous Paris-Munich ticket reached a ratio of 1 to 5.
‘That may seem like a lot, but it's a usual ratio for unusual events such as a Champions League final,’ explains Guillaume Rostand, Marketing Director of Liligo
Munich also played host to 18,000 fans of the opposing team, Inter Milan, enough to fill the city's accommodation to capacity for such an occasion.
Just as many fans don't count when it comes to supporting their favourite teams, as data from the Mastercard Economics Institute shows. It reveals that 33.7% of consumer spending by Europeans on experiences (excluding travel and catering) related to live events, compared with 32.1% in 2024 and 30.7% in 2019.
Munich hoteliers, or the real winners of this tournament
The Champions League final fell on a most opportune weekend, as it was the last bank holiday in May. Many French fans took advantage of the opportunity to travel early to Munich to discover the city outside the stadium.
Finale Champions League - Munich 2025 par Hospitality ON
This trend is reflected in a sharp rise in hotel occupancy in Munich over the entire bridge period (+15.6 points), with an occupancy rate of 74.8%. And while the occupancy rate was up in double figures, the average daily rate was even more impressive, with...
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