On Monday, Renaud Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, presented the recovery campaign for the tourism sector. After presenting this partnership campaign, an overview of the regional tourism strategy and the impact of the health crisis on the tourism sector—an integral part of the DNA of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur—was given.
“A whole region united for an unprecedented and ambitious recovery of tourism.” The Sud Region is the first French region to unite 100% of the departments and major destinations into a comprehensive recovery strategy.
“Hailing from Southern France, a region united for an unprecedented and ambitious tourism recovery.”
For more than a year now, tourism professionals in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur have been hit hard by the consequences of the health crisis. Successive lockdowns, curfews, travel restrictions, and the closure of bars, restaurants, and cultural venues have severely shaken the tourism sector, which is one of the pillars of our regional economy (13% of GDP and over 143,000 non-relocatable jobs). After months of uncertainty, and as the acceleration of vaccination paves the way for brighter days, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Tourism Committee (CRT) and its partners have once again decided to join forces to launch an ambitious tourism recovery plan.
The CRT, the Sud Region, and the development agencies of Alpes-de-Haute Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes Maritimes (CRT Côte d’Azur France), Bouches-du-Rhône (Provence Tourisme), Var (Visit Var), and Vaucluse (Vaucluse Provence Attractivité), along with tourism and convention offices in Marseille (Office Métropolitain de Tourisme et des Congrès de Marseille), Pays d’Aix, Antibes Juan-les-Pins, Nice (Office de Tourisme Métropolitain Nice Côte d’Azur), and Toulon (Toulon Métropole Provence Méditerranée), are more mobilized than ever to revive tourism in the region.
Up until 2020, a successful strategy for tourism in the PACA region
In recent years, the CRT and its partners have made clear strategic choices that have significantly, yet sustainably, developed the tourism economy of our region. Since 2015, the Sud Region’s tourism offer has been structured around three world brands.
Three common flags behind which regional tourism stakeholders have rallied: “Provence Enjoy the Unexpected,” “Alpes French South,” and “Côte d’Azur France.” This association, driven by the SRDT (Regional Tourism Development Plan), has led to the creation in 2018 of a unique digital database connecting all tourism offices, departmental agencies, and the CRT to consolidate 100% of the Sud Region’s offer, thereby facilitating access to information for clients.
Shared editorial boards with all brand partners have, for their part, showcased products expected by each type of clientele. Thanks to these investments, past intra-regional individual competitions have transformed into a real collective strength against other competitors.
This strategy has resulted in tangible outcomes:
– An increase in internationalization: In 2019, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur was the second French region in terms of international overnight stays, behind Paris-Ile de-France. Between 2018 and 2019, international overnight stays in our region increased by nearly 4%.
– This growth in international clientele significantly contributed to the increased weight of the tourism economy in the regional GDP: In 2011, sector revenue amounted to just over 18 billion euros. In 2019, it reached 19.8 billion euros, generating 143,000 jobs (13% of regional GDP), and representing an increase of nearly 2 billion euros.
After a traumatic 2020 and beginning of 2021 for tourism professionals eagerly awaiting the recovery, the time has come to give a strong boost to the lifeblood of our regional economy. The CRT and its partners are more ready than ever to make it happen.
