Today, boat shows are proliferating. “There is a boom in the organization of boat shows,” specifies Alain Garcia, the president of the show. In a few days, the one in Antibes will begin. Competition is gearing up. It proves the attractiveness of this sector. As its name suggests, the department is oriented towards the sea. Dominique Estève, president of the CCI, reminds us that the turnover from the boating industry in the Alpes-Maritimes amounts to one billion euros. Sales of motorboats are increasing, as are those of sailboats under six meters. Up to Sunday, 15,000 visitors are expected, making the Nice Côte d’Azur Boat show the capital of boating for the weekend.
A few months ago, the Port Festival, or lou festin dou pouort for the traditionalists, brought the port back to the center of Nice. Each edition helps rediscover this district for the locals, which is worth the detour. The Nice Côte d’Azur Boat Show also has this goal. It is not just for boating fanatics. It is also an opportunity for families to walk around a body of water, and Maurice Cohen is pleased that “the indispensable ingredient, the sun, has joined us.”
Eric Ciotti, vice-president of the Alpes-Maritimes General Council and representative of Christian Estrosi during the inauguration of the show, is effusive in his praise of the port now managed by the CG: “The port of Nice is the most beautiful in the Mediterranean. The Nice Côte d’Azur Boat Show demonstrates what the General Council wants to show: a port open to the city and reflecting the identity of Nice. There is still much to do, and we have decided on sixty measures to beautify it with a 10% increase in its boating capacity. The port must become our primary showcase.”
The presence of many personalities (Rudy Salles, Marc Concas, Juliana Chichmanian-Delpy, Jean-Auguste Icart…) around Maurice Cohen and Alain Garcia during the inauguration demonstrates the importance of the Nice Côte d’Azur Boat Show and, through it, of the Port.
