On Monday, the conference reviewing the social and economic impact of hosting Euro 2016 in Nice was held at Villa Massena.
Most of the speech was delivered by Christian Estrosi, the president of the region and the metropolitan area, preceded by the mayor of Nice, Philippe Pradal, and followed by the representative of the prefect, Adolphe Colrat, who was in Paris.
Nearly 800 people were present that Monday afternoon to celebrate the final whistle of Euro 2016. The city of Nice wanted all the involved parties of the organization to be present.
Security was highlighted first, with the national and municipal police, the army, and the RAID, along with the firefighters, who were described as “impeccable” in terms of providing aid, according to the regional president Christian Estrosi. The Nice volunteers affiliated with UEFA and Euro were also celebrated on Monday for assisting in all areas of the competition.
Christian Estrosi emphasized that, according to reliable sources, the city of Nice will tremendously benefit from this June and the European Championship, both economically and socially. Tourism, already the country’s and particularly the region’s signature, will be strengthened: “nearly 78% of visitors to Nice during the Euro wish to return within the next two years,” adding that Nice Airport registered a 20% increase in reservations last month compared to the previous year.
Relying on a study by the Higher Institute of Economics and Management (ISEM), he announced “economic returns of around 177 million euros, which is 118% higher than the 81 million euros forecasted by the Center for Law and Economics of Sport (CDES).”
On the social level, he announced the creation of 1,000 jobs in Nice during the competition in fields such as “security, hospitality, and commerce.”
Media from around the world came for this Euro, gathering 500 accredited journalists at Nice’s Fan Zone, for instance. By comparison, the Nice Jazz Festival, which is the event with the most accreditations in the city, issues 200.
This visibility brings hope, and the regional president is not shy about it: “We are already hard at work to host the European Cycling Championships from September 14 to 18.”
He also hopes that Allianz Riviera Stadium can host both matches of the Women’s World Cup to be held in France in 2019, as well as games for the Olympic Games if Paris secures the bid for the 2024 Olympics.
José Cobos, present at the ceremony, is very optimistic about the future of Allianz Riviera Stadium: “There are already European cup matches this year for OGC Nice. But yes, we maintained very good relations with FIFA after hosting the French team’s matches against Paraguay and Albania, so why not host more in the future. However, for now, our international goals remain the 2019 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games.”
Thibault Bourru
