Celine Dion's fans are not the only ones excited about the megastar's new tour in Paris. Hotels, restaurants and shops are hoping for a multimillion-euro boost from concertgoers in the French capital.
The 58-year-old Canadian singer announced last month that she was returning to the stage for 16 concerts in the French capital in September and October, after a lengthy break prompted by a rare health condition.
She could prove the latest in a series of stars to bring with them significant economic uplift from music fans, following Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour and as the South Korean mega-group BTS embarks on its tour.
The Eiffel Tower was lit up to honour the return of Dion, who sings both in French and English, and with the city covered in billboards and posters, Parisian businesses are hoping the tour will prove a major money spinner.
Dion's tour could bring an additional 300-500 million euros ($351-$585 million) into the city, said Alexandra Dublanche, president of Choose Paris Region, the organization that promotes the wider Paris area.
This includes ticket sales, hotel and restaurant bookings, retail spending and more, she told AFP, adding that international visitors tend to spend more than domestic travelers.
When Swift held four concerts in Paris in 2024, the city saw an economic boost of around 150-180 million euros, Dublanche said.
The latest tickets for Dion's shows went on sale on April 10, with an estimated half a million fans to attend the concerts, a third from overseas, according to Dublanche.
Others have put the figure higher. MKG Consulting estimated the potential economic impact at more than one billion euros, including a 180-million-euro boost for the Parisian hotel industry.
MKG analyst Vanguelis Panayotis said the economic benefits could reach 1.2 billion euros if taking into account transportation, and all the associated expenses and logistics of Dion's support team as well as fans.
"Major musical events are a driver of travel," said Vanessa Heydorff, managing director for France at Booking.com. The hotel reservation site said that searches for Paris around the dates of Dion's concerts increased by 49 percent.
The Adagio chain, which has 10 hotels in the city's La Defense district where the concerts will be held, saw a 400-percent increase in bookings.
