Michel Tschann, president of the Hoteliers’ Union: “The Côte d’Azur is experiencing an exceptional summer with unprecedented crowds and quality, unfortunately, the Haut-Pays does not have as good results.”
Several reasons contribute to this success, which in July, according to the hotels, has seen an increase of about 8-10% in the number of clients:
– the political and/or economic situation of certain Mediterranean countries
– bad weather almost everywhere except on the Côte d’Azur
– the multitude of events, especially in July
– the quality of the Côte in terms of security, accessibility, accommodation facilities, and the expertise of the teams
This success calls for and encourages planning for the future:
– by continuing to invest in security
– by strengthening the ecological commitment of the establishments
– by investing in hotels to be always more attractive, hoping that the current financial crisis does not increase interest rates
– by investing in training our teams
– by trying to move some festivals from July to August: too crowded in July, less so in August except for the wonderful baroque music festival in Menton
However, some concerns remain:
– the current financial crisis will have repercussions, especially since some clients fund their holidays with their portfolio of securities
– a rise in the euro that would make this destination more expensive while it already competes against much cheaper Mediterranean destinations
– a winter that promises to be difficult—as always—with a lack of Japanese clientele and companies that may reduce seminar and incentive budgets amid a forecasted slowdown in economic activity
– the difficulty in combining the coast and the hinterland in a comprehensive offer
– a territorial reorganization that, if mishandled, could result in splitting the Côte d’Azur in two
