Attendance and Revenue
This year, along a denser route, crowds gathered around the floats. The revenue reached €1.75 million (€1.6 million in 2007; €1.8 million in 2006, when access to viewing areas was charged), with 125,000 tickets issued (113,500 in 2007). The increase is about 10%.
The attendance was considerably higher, with over 600,000 people for all events combined. As for the total attendance, it is estimated at 1.2 million during the period, in Nice and greater Nice.
Online bookings have greatly increased this year (15%). Generally, orders are from individuals (57%) and groups (43%) coming from 32 countries as distant as Taiwan, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Israel, Gabon, or Libya… The share of direct bookings from Nice hotels increased by 12% during this event, but this does not account for independent reservations from tour operators, groups, and individuals staying in city establishments.
Economic Impact
The Carnival festivities represent a total budget of more than €5 million. Economic impacts on the city—dining, lodging, transportation, shopping—are estimated at about €35 million, driven by the increase in tourist attendance during this period.
The contribution of the Office of Tourism and Congress to tourism professionals is about 5,000 overnight stays and nearly 30 restaurants were involved.
The promotion of Nice also comes through the Carnival, thus 32 receptions, bringing together more than 130 professionals and delegation members from 17 countries, discovered the Nice Carnival. Thus, representatives from countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Finland, and the Benelux were on the French Riviera.
Media
The strong focus on municipal elections did not prevent the press from covering His Majesty. 180 accreditations were issued, representing nearly 20 countries such as Germany, Austria, the Benelux, Canada, China, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Russia, the USA, and all types of media (press agencies, print media, TV, radio, multimedia). 14 receptions for national and especially international journalists (10 countries) were managed, with the Carnival and the city itself on the agenda.
Internet visibility is increasingly significant on major media sites as well as on tourist discovery and event sites. This online presence is also very vast all over the world.
Online Carnival
“nicecarnaval.com” received 110,000 visits during February, with a peak attendance of 5,800 visits on the 17th. 260,000 visits to our sites during the same period. The images from the DVD posted online for the second weekend were viewed more than 3,100 times. Finally, online bookings have significantly increased with 321 hotel reservations, one-fifth of which were special offers, and 161 reservations for excursions and guided tours.
The call center received 11,400 calls during the Carnival period, nearly 400 calls per day; nearly 2,000 emails were dedicated to Carnival inquiries; as for tourists welcomed in our four visitor centers, more than 31,500 crossed our threshold. While a majority are French, it is notable that there was strong attendance from British and Italian, followed by Germany, the Scandinavian countries, and the USA.
The Art of Carnival
The immense work done on street arts, specifically in a roaming format, makes the Nice Carnival a benchmark. This year, 1,500 artists showcased their creativity in the parades; thus, 55 troupes came from 14 countries—Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Slovenia, Switzerland. All 8 districts of the city were represented by 160 carnival-goers, true free electrons of the processions.
Local creation is starting to be especially noted, such as “the dragon”, an exceptional carnival creation; a trend that is setting in over time. Increasingly numerous exchanges also occur with carnivals and festivals worldwide. The fun animation area of Albert 1st garden was even more successful than in 2007; between creative workshops, music, and burlesque arts, all the elements were united.
The Upcoming Reign
The Carnival 2009 will be “King of Masquerades”
and will take place from February 13 to March 1.
