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As happened in Paris after the November 13 attacks, all the economic players involved in the tourism market experienced a sharp drop in attendance.
Following the July 14 attack in Nice, Christian Estrosi, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region and the metropolitan area, Philippe Pradal, mayor of Nice, Rudy Salles, deputy and delegate for tourism and international relations, and Christian Tordo, delegate for economy and employment, met yesterday (editor’s note: afternoon) with representatives of the economic and tourism sectors in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes department, and the region, to listen to them, reassure them, support them, and propose measures to restore the area’s attractiveness. This tragic attack seriously threatens the region’s economic activity.
After hearing the participants express their concerns and the short-term impacts they had suffered, the elected officials discussed ways to mitigate the effects of this crisis and begin a reconstruction work based on a common communication.
For the city of Nice, immediate assistance measures have been decided for businesses, based on a defined perimeter (along the Promenade des Anglais): exemption from public domain occupancy fees for terraces starting July 15, deferral of fees for beach operators, and deferral of tourist tax for hotel establishments.
For the Nice Côte d’Azur metropolis, following an evaluation of potential losses over the summer season, an exceptional fund will be released by the metropolis for businesses that have suffered revenue losses related to the July 14 events during the summer season. For the region, a tourism recovery plan is being finalized by the regional services, in partnership with the Nice tourist office and the Riviera Côte d’Azur regional tourism board.
Regarding the department, Éric Ciotti announced, during a special session presenting the aid plan for the victims of the attack, that he met with the Minister of the Economy Emmanuel Macron last Wednesday to request the mobilization of the Economic Continuity Unit, to evaluate the impact of this attack on hospitality, accommodation, and leisure tourism activities. All measures will need to be considered, including the deferral of companies’ social and fiscal charges, as well as direct aid based on the intensity and duration of the crisis. The first measures will be implemented as early as next month.
