On the occasion of the Metropolitan Council meeting, a change in direction was voted by the majority regarding the organization of tourism promotion. The Metropolis had taken on all the activities for the sake of coordination and to generate economies of scale. However, it quickly became apparent that managing these activities requires specific skills and a daily presence on the ground.
So, a turnaround and a new distribution of responsibilities and tasks…
In partnership with the Nice Tourist Office and Convention Bureau, the Metropolis will handle “coordination, promotion, and communication of operations internationally” with the aim of offering a comprehensive coastline/hinterland package (with the “sky” product as a highlight), while the municipalities will manage the on-site activities, including reception, information, and events (local festivals).
This organization, which re-engages the municipalities that had transferred all their competences to the Metropolis, seems more balanced: Will it also be more effective? Because the word synergy is easy to say but much harder to turn from a simple lexical expression into actual deeds.
Currently, the appeal of coastal cities opposes the encouraging yet limited situation of the hinterland.
Therefore, a lot of work remains to be done to rebalance the situation so that, when tourists from the other side of the world hear the words Côte d’Azur, they also think of the peaks of Mercantour!
