Each year, it’s the same challenge: transforming a winter resort into a summer resort. For Jean-Noël Tofanari, the important thing is to constantly connect sports with the mountains: “whether it’s sliding sports or others, there’s a lot, a lot to do. We have all the activities, from swimming to archery, to dancing.” This year, an additional attraction is the creation of mountain biking trails: “Everyone was delighted with the quality of our trails. It’s something we plan to improve further next year.”
Now, it’s about staying confident regarding the accommodation capacity: “We have all the hotels open. Our occupancy rates are very interesting. We should have a very good August.”
Hand in Hand
Working with other tourist offices is essential: “It’s an idea of Christian Estrosi, for our department, to sell both the sea and the mountains on a global scale. We must come together, unite, to sell a complementary product.” However, there are other resorts besides Auron. This is not a disadvantage: “We don’t talk about competition between the resorts but about complementarity. Isola 2000 has good hotels and presents a good image, especially in the winter for skiing and snowboarding.” Jean-Noël Tofanari is also not afraid of ideological divides: “Political changes bring a new dynamic. The new faces are people who work, engage, and ask for nothing in return. Moreover, we have a very good relationship with the town halls of Isola and Saint Etienne de Tinée.”
Pulling Out All the Stops
Christian Estrosi is clinging to the 2018 Winter Olympics. It’s a boon for the Alpes-Maritimes. The President of the Tourist Offices confirms: “It’s a great project. We have good potential and all the necessary tracks. Slalom events, for example, could take place in Isola and ice events in the Var valley. In terms of accommodation, the proximity of the coastal strip with Monaco provides us with ample means to house visitors. It’s only an hour and a half drive to get to the resorts. It’s no worse than Turin.” Thus, the infrastructures and geographical context could shield Nice from any competition.
Tourism in the Alpes-Maritimes should also benefit. However, some elements are missing for total success: “budget, especially for event management. Besides traditional competitions, we must be able to improve the cultural aspect. And that requires a lot of work.”
This video is from the website [Web TV Nice](https://www.webtvnice.com) .
