Politico-touristic serial between Nice and Marseille on the future of the two regional tourism committees. Eric Ciotti (UMP) accuses the Socialist Region of favoring Marseille. Traditional opposition between Nice and Marseille or political settling of scores between the region and the department…
As a reminder: The weight of tourism jobs in the overall departmental economy is twice that of the Bouches-du-Rhône.
The French Riviera alone represents more than 40% of the regional tourism activity.
This specificity of Côte d’Azur tourism is the reason for the existence of two CRTs: one CRT Côte d’Azur, in Nice, which has existed for 70 years, and one CRT PACA in Marseille.
This organization was reinforced by an agreement between the two major regional metropolises during the summer of 1987, at a time when the new Regions created during the first step of decentralization were being established.
Today, is the Region questioning this model that has been the success of the Côte d’Azur?
On Tuesday, May 14, Eric Ciotti, President of the General Council, and Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, during a press conference, announced that the CRT Riviera Côte d’Azur, created exactly 70 years ago, would be threatened with disappearance.
The annual grant from the PACA Regional Council of 900,000 € is still not voted. Worse, according to the two local elected officials, an internal regional report is considering the elimination of the CRT Riviera Côte d’Azur in favor of a single entity.
Eric Ciotti (UMP) accuses the Region governed by the PS of favoring Marseille: “The Region reduced its grant by 200,000 euros from 2010 to 2011 to the Côte d’Azur, moving from 1.1 million to 900,000 euros, while at the same time paying 5 million euros to the Regional Tourism Committee of Marseille.”
To justify themselves, the Region mentions financial difficulties, according to Patrick Allemand “the Marseille CRT has to manage 5 departments, instead of just one for the Côte d’Azur CRT and from a budgetary level it is not always easy. An initial grant of 450,000 € is announced by Mr. Meffre, President of the Tourism Commission of the Regional Council, with a possible increase at the end of the year.”
Insufficient for Eric Ciotti, who in a statement published last night, highlights the contradictory statements from the Region’s representatives, and cannot dissipate, according to him, the certainty that there are indeed double standards, with the 5 million euros grant to the Marseille CRT being confirmed.
Needless subsidy for Christian Estrosi who claims “In Marseille there are more CGT union members blocking the port or trash collection than tourists.”
Statement from Christian Estrosi and Eric Ciotti
Future of CRT Côte d’Azur
For Christian Estrosi and Eric Ciotti, the fears were justified
and the issue is far from being resolved
“The contradictory statements from the Region’s representatives, following our press conference yesterday, are not reassuring at all.
On one side, Mr. Meffre, President of the Tourism Commission of the Regional Council, announces a simple and pure cut by half of the Region’s grant to 450,000 € in 2012. On the other, while confirming this figure, Mr. Allemand, First Vice-President, mentions a potential increase at the end of the year, but this artifice won’t fool anyone.
All this leaves us in complete confusion and cannot dissipate the certainty that there are indeed double standards, with the 5 million euros grant to the Marseille CRT being well confirmed.
Additionally, one cannot use the creation of the Metropolis as an argument to reduce regional support to the CRT which is an associative structure created by law and endowed with its own competence in tourism promotion.
The General Council for its part has increased its grant to the CRT, rising from 2.65 million euros to 2.8 million euros in 2012, to which is added 200,000 € for the major promotion campaign, totaling 3 million euros, an increase of more than 13%.
Finally, doubt is far from being lifted concerning the plan to eliminate the CRT Côte d’Azur. Despite what Mr. Allemand says, whose late denials cannot create an illusion, this elimination remains clearly inscribed in the documents and official opinions drafted at the request of Mr. Vauzelle and his services. Once again, Mr. Allemand will have demonstrated that he has little influence in the Regional Council and has poorly defended the interests of the Alpes-Maritimes.”
Christian Estrosi
Mayor of Nice
President of the Metropolis Nice Côte d’Azur
Eric Ciotti
President of the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes
