Yesterday at the Museum of Asian Arts, the presentation of the promotional plan to support the new direct line Nice-Beijing by Air China took place, in the presence of David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes and President of the CRT (Regional Tourism Committee), Charles-Ange Ginesy, President of the Alpes-Maritimes department, Eric Ciotti, representative of the Alpes-Maritimes department on the board of directors of Nice airport, and Dominique Thillaud, President of Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.
New horizons are opening at Nice airport. The announcement of the opening of this line can even be considered historic for the Côte d’Azur, which for a long time, has established great connections with China in all fields: diplomatic, cultural, economic, and tourism.
“The proof is right in front of us in this magnificent Museum of Asian Arts,” underscores Charles Ange Ginésy. There are also diplomatic meetings that do not date far back. We remember Xi Jinping’s visit to our city in March 2019. This clearly demonstrates that the ties are strong between France and China, particularly in our region.
An Ambitious Project
“August 2, 2019, will be a major event,” assures Eric Ciotti. It is on this date that the inaugural flight between Nice and Beijing will take place. After this date, Air China will offer 3 flights a week: Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday (business and economy class). Thanks to this new agreement, Nice becomes the first French city after Paris to connect its territory to China.
“It is a real factor of attractiveness to link our airport to one of the world’s largest capitals,” affirms Eric Ciotti. For him, this will further develop Asian tourism in our region. An important issue when we know the significance of the tourism market on the Côte d’Azur (75,000 jobs in the department).
Nevertheless, the Asian tourism market on the Côte d’Azur is still expanding. The Côte d’Azur represents only 5% of Chinese overnight stays, although stays have tripled between 2007 and 2015: 85,000 stays in 2015, according to the CRT Observatory. This remains low but stable. For David Lisnard, President of the CRT, “it is a great opportunity to host such a connection.” It will allow us to further tap into the Chinese tourism market, which is very promising: 100 million travelers per year/ 114€ average daily spending. These figures are quite enticing.
With the help of this new flight, the Côte d’Azur expects by 2025 more than 250,000 stays from Chinese tourists, compared to roughly 115,000 today.
More Connected than Ever
To welcome Chinese tourists in the best conditions, the many partners of the project have deployed everything: a Chinese hotline presence on the WeChat social network directly at Nice airport, a wifi network presence + access to a website in Mandarin to answer all questions (transport means, etc.).
This represents a very significant asset when we know the Chinese inclination for digital tools. That is why the Alpes-Maritimes Department has implemented the “smart deal” (digital transition plan), a way to equip the territory with tools and means to make it ever more attractive.
