The COVID-19 crisis represents an unprecedented economic challenge for this sector, with 98% of regional professionals affected.
The President of the Regional Council, Renaud Muselier, has chosen to respond to this adversity with a strong and coordinated response: “We owed them a strong and coordinated response, so a collective plan of 21 million euros has been launched, to which 65 million euros in support for tourism businesses is added. This is a total reinforcement of 86 million euros for regional tourism. By June 2, we are ready to reclaim our freedoms and welcome tourists.”
The Regional Tourism Committee, alongside the Region, Atout France, and their main regional partners, has launched “On a tous besoin du Sud,” a massive promotional campaign for Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur at both regional and national levels.
“This campaign is an ambitious and unprecedented recovery plan aimed at stimulating the return of French customers to compensate for the loss of international clientele, which normally represents 40% of tourists annually,” asserts Renaud Muselier during the presentation of the tourist season, accompanied by local elected officials and numerous tourism professionals.
On the economic front, the Region intends to specifically support tourism professionals in the recovery phase of their activity, with a budget of 21 million euros dedicated to a regional tourism economy recovery plan.
As early as March 30, the South Region had initiated an immediate recovery plan of 2.6 million euros, which will be supplemented with an additional 4 million euros in June to help professionals strengthen their equity.
Other actions are planned:
A “RESCUE TOURISM” VACATION VOUCHER
To help boost the consumption of accommodation, dining, and leisure services, the South Region, in partnership with the National Agency for Vacation Vouchers and the Departments of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Var, and Vaucluse, has decided to launch a “Rescue Tourism” vacation voucher system, worth 500 euros each, usable in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur as soon as the tourism activity resumes. These vouchers, with a total cost of 10 million euros, will be usable by over 20,000 professionals in the region registered with the National Agency for Vacation Vouchers network.*
REGIONAL TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR TERRACES
To help hoteliers, restaurateurs, and café owners get back on their feet, the Region has established a Regional Territorial Development Fund (FRAT) dedicated to tourism.
To ensure the success of the tourist season, the South Region supports municipalities that exempt bars, cafés, and restaurants from terrace fees and occupancy dues for a minimum of 6 months, by providing them with a 10% bonus on their annual municipal aid file (FRAT). This scheme will be subsidized up to 3.5 million euros.
AID FOR REGIONAL TOURISM
As part of the Region’s economic development role, nearly 500 million euros have been allocated to businesses throughout the COVID-19 crisis. 300,000 businesses and associations have been supported within this framework. The tourism sector, vital for our region, constitutes an envelope of 65 million euros in aid to businesses.
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