Paris Olympics 2024 News: Metro Ticket Prices Soar as AI-Backed Translation Devices Assist Visitors in Navigating the City

With only a few months left on the calendar, the Paris Olympics is gearing up to place the final changes. Since the past few years, the organization has claimed an estimated budget of €8.8 billion (about $9.57 billion) to celebrate sports and culture in the presence of millions from across the globe. After a continued effort to clean the Seine and a persisting hand at completing housing facilities, Paris now aims to make the city commute-friendly.

Paris has constantly adorned changes ever since the Olympics marked a beginning. While the transformations have brought along benefits inclusive of employment and development, like two sides of a coin, the city has also been on the receiving end of the disadvantages.

Paris Olympics welcomes increased changes

The 2024 Paris Olympics committee is expecting a visitor number of over 15 million. The major concern of the presented numbers is the commute and, of course, translation. In the wake of the events, Paris’ public transport system (RATP) recently introduced 3000 agents to translation devices. The AI-supported devices are expected to help thousands of visitors navigate Paris during the games. The translation devices are designed to translate about 16 languages through text and audio. “We no longer have this fear of thinking ‘oh no we’re not going to understand each other’,” one of the Paris metro workers remarked. However, there is a significant pain point regarding public transport.

Along with visitor flow, the metro ticket price is expected to double. Commuters will have to shell out 4 euros for single metro journeys, Valerie Pecresse, the president of the Île-de-France region that includes Paris, stated previously. The fare for the same distance currently costs 2.10 euros. In the reciprocal of the actions, the administration is expecting a tourism boost and spending.

A glimmer of hope in returns

Apart from 15 million on the visitor list for the Paris Olympics, the city is expecting an additional 3 million for tourism. According to Euromonitor International experts, the number might boost nearly EUR4 billion in tourism spending. “The true benefits of a successful Paris 2024, watched by a massive global television audience, will be felt in subsequent years,” Alexander Göransson, Senior Consultant at Euromonitor International, says. He further added that apart from the Olympics, the city will continue “expecting a steady increase in inbound visitors to France and its capital city from 2025.”

Also Read: Ahead of the Games, Paris Olympics 2024 Reveals a Must See Cultural Exhibition

The Paris Olympics is additionally taking on the Green Olympics initiative. This means using existing structures for events with only 3 additional being built. Furthermore, thousands of miles away from Paris, Tahiti will stand to host the surfing events. The practice could mean increased exposure for the country and thus a boost in tourism. Through the process of it all, the administration will look for reciprocation.

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