2023-11-24 11:25:18
If the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans – the Centenary edition – saw a record attendance of 325,000 spectators, a total of 431,967 unique people visited the circuit between June 4 and 11, an increase by almost 50% compared to 2022.
The forecourt of Le Mans station. ©David Savary
A study carried out by FluxVision in partnership with Sarthe Tourisme reveals thatone in five Sarthois went to the circuit at least once a week. Although almost half come from the Pays de la Loire (44.7%), the Paris region is not left out, with 15.7% of spectators. If the 24 Hours of Le Mans reaches its peak during the race weekend, the tests and events during the week also attract the crowds, particularly those from Sarthe. Thus, 50% of the public is from Sarthe until Wednesday.
Spectators: 66 countries represented compared to 55 in 2022
The attendance of foreign spectators is also particularly noteworthy. From Thursday of race week, a third of visitors come from abroad. No less than 66 countries are represented, compared to 55 in 2022. The international character of this now century-old race is reflected in the figures: American spectators were, for example, twice as numerous as in 2022a figure that can be explained by the comparison with lInternational Motor Sports Association (IMSA), the weight of the legend in the USA, the presence of LeBron James as the official starter of the event and a Nascar on the starting grid. Key markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark also experienced significant growth.
A multigenerational event
A popular event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans attracts all generations to the circuit. A rare occurrence to be underlined, the distribution by age group is in every way consistent with the general French population. In this new golden age of endurance, the youngest are there, with more than 21% of minor spectators. We also note a slight rejuvenation of visitors compared to 2022.
A major impact on the tourism economy of Sarthe
The 24 Hours of Le Mans, a permanent spectacle.
The Fluxvision / Sarthe Tourisme study also makes it possible to obtain precise data concerning the number of nights spent in Sarthe during the race period. Between May 30 and June 16, the legendary race generated 544,877 commercial and non-commercial nights.s (example, two people spending two nights in a hotel will count as four nights) in Sarthe and the surrounding departments.
More than half of the nights come from foreign customers
503,252 overnight stays were recorded in the Sarthe department alone (41,000 were recorded outside the department, mainly in large neighboring towns (Angers, Chartres, Laval, Alençon, Tours, etc.).
51% of these overnight stays come from foreign customers (279,655 overnight stays), an increase of 56% compared to 2022. Finally, the majority of foreigners stay several days: one in two foreign spectators spends at least four days on the circuit. Interesting for the local economy when we know that foreign customers are more inclined to book commercial accommodation.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans therefore generate 8% of all tourist nights in Sarthe in 2023 (from January 1 to November 12, 2023) in just two weeks.
Next year, sold out once more
The arrival of the Centenary edition. ©David Savary
“Our flagship event allows an entire region to shine, in France and internationally, and has a significant impact on the department’s economy. We are now planning on the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will take place from June 12 to 16. A race which will take place for the second consecutive year and in its history to a sold-out crowd,” declares Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), organizer of the event.
“This unifying event puts Sarthe at the center of the world for a week. This not only has extremely positive economic repercussions, but it also demonstrates the importance of our departmental strategy of supporting tourist structures, which allow us to offer a welcome that is certainly quantitative but above all very qualitative to the many visitors who stay several days in our beautiful department. Finally, I am delighted that the Sarthe public is still faithful to the meeting to participate in this beautiful celebration which makes us all vibrate” explains Dominique Le Mèner, president of the Sarthe Departmental Council and president of the Mixed Syndicate of the Circuit des 24 Heures .
Sarthe at the center of the world
“One of the great satisfactions is that the vast majority of overnight stays linked to the race are generated in Sarthe. Proof of the dynamics of the tourism sector in the department and the capacity of Sarthoise tourist accommodation (hotels, furnished tourist accommodation, outdoor accommodation) to host events of global scale » finally asserts Véronique Rivron, president of Sarthe Tourisme.
See our report on the race here.
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