This two-part tourism dossier is an excerpt from a thesis on tourism presented by Nicolas Capitoni, a graduate in International Affairs specializing in tourism.
Recommendations
It is commonly thought that the first impression is the correct one. In terms of vacation destinations, if we only consider the reception tourists receive from taxis at the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, there is still a long way to go to make the French Riviera a model tourist destination.
This trivial image speaks volumes about the efforts that need to be made by all players in the Azuréen tourism sector. Several economic, political, and geographic factors should be explored in order to improve the tourist space of the Côte d’Azur.
Rejuvenating the Image of the Côte d’Azur
Rejuvenating the image of the Côte d’Azur is a priority. In 2013, Nice Côte d’Azur will bid to be recognized as the European Capital of Culture. This campaign could help rejuvenate the image of the coast. Launching an international competition, especially with Italy, to elect the city as the “European Capital of Culture” is crucial. That’s why it is necessary to consider creating a post for an International Mission Officer to submit a partnership agreement between Nice and other European cities. This will undoubtedly be a good opportunity to forge ties with the Italian tourism sector. The Côte d’Azur must charm with its characteristics; it should not seek to imitate the conditions of destinations like Costa Rica or Djerba.
Enhancing Safety for Tourists
The existence of disorder or violence, threats of repeated strikes are factors likely to deter tourist attendance or severely limit its progress. Indeed, the perception of the destination is altered by these factors, which, for the Côte d’Azur, mainly consist of minor criminal activities. Therefore, it is necessary to reassure visitors by revitalizing communication on safety both locally and nationally: the positive aura of the Côte d’Azur in terms of safety will be further reinforced as the French Government sends a strong signal in combating small and medium-sized crime. This communication must be relayed locally by strengthening municipal police presence in highly touristic areas during the season (old town, pedestrian zones, etc.).
Focusing on Business Tourism
Business tourism is one of the keys to the tourism renewal of the Côte d’Azur. To compete with the rise of cities like Barcelona or Singapore, the Côte d’Azur must engage in a relevant approach to position itself more clearly on the international market. Cannes has lost the GSM (International Mobile Telephony Show, 25,000 to 30,000 participants), leading to a loss of 700,000 euros for each of the four palace hotels on the Croisette. The reason is simple: the accommodation capacities in the Azuréen region had become insufficient. The question now is whether we truly want to invest in major events, develop our accommodation capacities, and build new congress halls, or continue to see our tourist showcases deteriorate.
Thus, a potential work initiative to keep events would be to solicit the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Regional Council, the Alpes Maritimes General Council, and various Azuréen town halls to relaunch a construction program for new, well-placed reception structures that are better served by public transport. The example of the Acropolis Palace’s location in Nice clearly shows the incompatibility of Nice structures with the demand, which is increasingly demanding in terms of reception and proximity of services. Despite the efforts of the Nice municipality, which has truly engaged in a proactive policy in this district (construction and expansion of the Saint Jean D’Angely hub, implementation of the tramway, modification of the Local Urban Plan, House of Science, etc.) and which has opted to entrust its management to GL EVENTS, this facility will hardly be able to compete with convention centers like the one in Catalonia, Barcelona, where the capacity allows the organization of modern and international events covering all sectors of activity.
Therefore, the Acropolis Palace has a structural and geographical problem: no expansion or modification is conceivable. However, a modern structure, equipped with parking, a congress hall, on a location known worldwide, would be an unprecedented tool for Nice and the Côte d’Azur: the location of the Sulzer parking lot, the last available land on the Promenade des Anglais and close to the city center, would be ideal to strengthen Nice’s image in terms of prestigious congresses.
Partnership between Azuréen Institutions and Italy
Even though the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Nice significantly contributes to enhancing Franco-Italian exchanges, the meetings between the two areas remain insufficient to stimulate tourism on the Côte d’Azur. A long-term partnership is not possible, we must be aware of this, each country must maintain its identity. However, occasional exchanges could create a dynamic for tourism. In distant markets such as China or Brazil, it would be wise to find common ground between “ENIT” and “Maison de la France” regarding the promotion of the territories. The two governmental bodies are responsible for promoting their destinations. They could therefore share a booth at fairs in Asia or South America to attract long-haul clientele. Chinese and Brazilians want to discover Europe, so the proximity of France and Italy is a significant asset. And importantly, this would also counter rising tourist powers like Spain. It could also be the same between the Côte d’Azur and the northern regions of Italy…
Investing in New Forms of Tourism
Economic discovery tourism is not sufficiently developed on the Côte d’Azur, which is unfortunate when we have an international hub such as the Sophia Antipolis technology park. The Côte d’Azur should organize economic discovery trips for French and international companies. Creating an international event such as “Azuréen Economic Discovery Week” with visits to leading companies like Amadeus, IBM, France Telecom, or other research and development laboratories would be a way to appeal to significant clientele. On the Italian side, the offer would be even more interesting since the Italian economic fabric is made up of 95% TPE or SMEs. This would therefore push companies towards innovation.
Agritourism is also a new trend that is not very present on the Côte d’Azur. This phenomenon is now a vector for tourist flows, particularly in Italy where this form of tourism has developed exceptionally in recent years. It will also be a way to highlight the diversity of the high country of Azuréen.
The fact is clear: the Côte d’Azur currently lacks sufficient port capacities to attract maritime tourism. Located between the ports of Genoa and Marseille, the port of Nice pales in comparison. The Lympia basin cannot accommodate enough boats relative to the actual demand. Its economic positioning is, moreover, not very explicit: at once an industrial port, a marina, and a cruise port, on a limited and non-extensive surface, the port of Nice has no choice but to occupy another waterfront, in order to better distribute the types of maritime activities. A judicious extension would be Saint Laurent du Var. Close to the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, this port would allow the accommodation of cruises and all the industrial activity to relieve congestion at the Lympia Basin, which would be solely reserved for pleasure boating.
