Celine Dion, Shakira and Formula 1 boost travel demand to Paris and Madrid

Major music and sporting events are driving increased air travel and hotel demand in Paris and Madrid this autumn, according to new data from Amadeus Travel Intelligence.

International flight searches to Paris during Celine Dion’s 16-concert residency, running from 12 September to 17 October, are 11% higher than during the comparable period in 2025, while confirmed bookings have increased by 5%. The performances will mark Dion’s first full concerts in more than six years.

The United States accounts for 26.5% of international searches and 26.85% of bookings. Brazil and Canada are also important source markets, while some of the fastest booking growth comes from Thailand, up 200%, Japan, up 40%, and Mexico, up 38%.

European interest is strong at the search stage, particularly from Greece, Romania, Spain, Poland and Portugal, although relatively few of these enquiries have converted into air bookings. Domestic French demand is concentrated in the south, led by Toulouse, Nice and Ajaccio.

Visitors also appear to be turning Dion’s residency into longer holidays. Paris hotel bookings for stays of six to 13 nights are 6% higher than last year, while revenue per available room has risen by 13% to USD211.

Madrid is experiencing a similar events-driven increase as the Spanish Grand Prix and Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour bring visitors to the capital in September. Combined domestic and international flight bookings between 9 September and 4 October are up 5% year on year. Domestic bookings are estimated to have grown by 28% and international bookings by 4%.

For the first nine nights of Shakira’s Madrid residency, domestic bookings are 35% higher, with traffic from Barcelona rising by 128%. Bookings for groups of at least six travellers have increased by 30%. International growth is led by Japan, Canada, Mexico and the Netherlands.

During the Formula 1 period, bookings from the UK are up 46%, followed by South Korea at 45% and France at 32%. Argentina remains Madrid’s largest international source market, accounting for 15% of bookings.

Madrid hotel occupancy is currently projected at 48% during September, rising to 52% in the week when the two events overlap. Average daily room rates have increased by 25% to approximately USD413.

Amadeus said the figures illustrate the growing “culture tripping” trend, in which concerts, sporting events and other major cultural occasions increasingly influence where people travel, how long they stay and how much they spend.