2019-2022 review

Results for 2019-2022: the future looks bright for professional events in Bordeaux

Bordeaux’s business tourism sector has experienced its share of turbulence in recent years, rocked by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 2020 was a particularly difficult year, with events cancelled on account of public health restrictions, resulting in significant economic consequences for the business tourism sector which endured until early 2022.

2020, an unprecedented challenge:

Like so many other leading urban destinations, Bordeaux had a very tough time in 2020 as a result of Covid-related restrictions. The blanket ban on large gatherings had a considerable economic impact, testing the resilience of the events sector.

The rebound continues:

The figures for 2019-2022 paint a very encouraging picture of the events sector’s post-pandemic rebound. 2022 was the year the comeback really gathered pace, although total activity levels still remained below their pre-Covid peak.

Ever-increasing diversity:

Over this four-year period, the politics, law and social sector took pride of place with 23% of total conference days in Bordeaux. Science and medicine came in second place, with fashion and retail in third, followed by banking, insurance and real estate in fourth and communication in fifth, just ahead of the construction sector. 

Detailed, representative data: These results are based on a rigorous data-gathering exercise involving 17 members of the Business Tourism Observatory, ensuring the reliability of our analyses and the representativeness of the trends identified.

In conclusion, and in spite of the evident challenges encountered, business tourism in Bordeaux displayed remarkable resilience in this period. The figures for 2022 hint at an encouraging rebound, testament to the sector’s capacity to build back progressively. The diversity of sectors represented in events held in Bordeaux continues to play an important role in the overall dynamism of the city as a destination. The future looks bright for Bordeaux as an attractive destination for professional events.