Founded over 20 years ago by Gaston Franco, current Member of the European Parliament, Michel Tschann, president of the Nice Hoteliers’ Union, and Max Krauth, a journalist in tourism at the time, this association was created to develop the international image of Nice.
Comprising individuals from the hotel, restaurant, travel agency, national and international public transport companies, as well as cultural and tourism-related professions, it gained significant recognition by meeting regularly on Monday evenings at different dining locations to discuss, propose, and innovate across all economic sectors.
Tourism authorities (CRT and OT) have always been receptive to feedback from APTA since the freedom afforded by the fact that its members have no obligation of reserve allows the discussion of various often controversial issues between elected politicians and professionals whose livelihoods depend on their work.
APTA members are also aware that tourism is the primary local economic driver, as demonstrated by the Côte d’Azur tourism site, which highlights three aspects: the coast, nature, and snow.
Since its inception, APTA has opened up to other sectors like sports events (International Marathon, Half Marathon, Prom’ Classic, Ironman, Paris-Nice, International Figure Skating and Ice Dance Competition, Tennis Open, Extreme Sailing Series, Haute Route Geneva-Nice cycling race).
The economic impacts from these event organizers and participants generate substantial returns benefiting tourism professionals, allowing consistent activity at hotels and restaurants throughout the year, while boosting luxury commerce and local products.
It was crucial to quantify the financial inflow generated by the athletes and their teams over a weekend, who often remain on the Côte d’Azur for 3 to 4 days post-event. To this end, the UFR-STAPS at Nice was consulted to provide tangible and scientifically recognized data.
Thus, the first edition of the Marathon four years ago surveyed 900 out of 10,000 participants from abroad, demonstrating that the expenditure by these short-stay tourists amounted to between 5 and 5.5 million euros, excluding travel expenses of members from 46 nationalities to reach the Côte d’Azur.
Thanks to Sphinx software and a questionnaire validated by organizers, politicians truly realized the impact of this event, placing it at the forefront of Nice’s event agenda.
Many academic publications have emerged, thanks to researchers in the “management” field, who are also APTA members (Bernard Massiera, Imed Ben Mahmoud, Christian Coglievina).
This recognition by the academic community is significant and also promotes the city of Nice beyond its communication budget!
This is also why APTA can assert its role as a cross-disciplinary and professional unifying body in the various activities that define its mission.
