Every winter, millions of visitors visit the Christmas markets. But behind the illuminations and the mulled wine, these events above all represent an important source of income for communities.
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Perhaps you are one of those French people who like to stroll through the Christmas markets and enjoy the decorations, illuminations and entertainment. But what do they bring to communities? If more and more towns and villages are creating them in recent years, it is because it is an interesting source of income.
Christmas markets are popular, there are more and more visitors there, according to an Ipsos BVA survey, more than a third of French people, particularly young people, go there every year, with family and friends. Strasbourg, the oldest Christmas market in France, and one of the most emblematic, attracted nearly 3.5 million visitors in 2024, including many foreign tourists who operate the city’s hotels and restaurants, and generate tourist taxes and additional jobs.
Christmas markets provide work for local producers and businesses. People come there to treat themselves, buy gifts, taste a mulled wine, buy a ride for the children, in short, consume. Nearly half of those surveyed say they spend between 20 and 50 euros. According to the Chamber of Commerce of the Hauts-de-France region, for example, the Arras Christmas market in Pas-de-Calais, with its million visitors and its 150 chalets, generates a total of nearly 2 million euros in economic benefits. Behind the celebration and the magic, Christmas markets are real economic levers.
However, these markets also represent costs for communities: communication, decoration and logistics expenses. Sometimes, the city puts on entertainment, fireworks, a special shuttle. It also mobilizes security personnel, but in general the operation is largely a win-win, if only in terms of outreach. Christmas markets help change the image of a region.
On the square in front of La Défense, in Paris, for more than a month and a half, at the foot of the towers, a Christmas market was set up in this somewhat cold and austere office district and brought warmth and conviviality. In 2024, nearly 1.5 million visitors will come. The organizers hope to reach 2 million visitors in 2025, enough to bring in between 15 and 17 million euros in turnover for the group organizing the event and more than 600,000 euros in royalties for the Paris la Défense establishment.
