With “record” figures, “even exceeding those of 2019” for this summer season, tourism is reaching new heights in Nice. But the strategy of professionals must change, according to the Regional Tourism Committee (CRT) Paca and the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Tourist Office (OT). “We need to go back to basics, launches Rudy Salles, deputy president of the OT during a press conference. Originally, tourism in Nice was tourism in winter”. In other words: it is no longer enough to be on top in summer, you have to be in winter too.
“Two hundred years ago, we lobbied to ask hotels to open in the summer, adds Loïc Chovelon, general manager of CRT Paca, based on the broadcast of an extract from the series Downton Abbey, which follows a wealthy English family in the 1910s. And it was forgotten. Now, when we think of Nice, we think of a seaside resort. »
To change the situation, the CRT and the OT commissioned the firm Voltère to study the market and allow a strategy for “sustainable tourist development of the destination” (“sustainable in the sense of time not in the sense of sustainable development” , will then specify the Tourist Office). This study was then presented, among others, to representatives of hotels, restaurants, institutions such as the CCI or businesses.
Create “products”
“The history of the city of Nice is also the history of tourism, comments François Victor, of the Voltère firm. The beauty of the landscapes, the climate, the lights, the architecture and the vegetation are all attractive elements at the time that are still so today. But the work to attract customers during this period is no longer the same commitment as it was two hundred years ago”. He then relies on the figures: in winter, the majority of tourists are foreigners and the population is older than in summer. “We have to take the same approach to get young people as to get new customers, continues Loïc Chovelon. We have to make them want Nice, they have to dream of Nice, we have to get into their heads so that they have this image that Nice is a destination, even in winter. »
Because to come to the Côte d’Azur, it’s difficult to get there “by chance”. According to the charts of the cabinet, even the French take the plane to come to Nice. The customer must then “type” the destination from where he resides in his search engine. And for that, “he must have a reason to do it”, specifies the general manager of CRT Paca.
He then evokes the best destinations “where to go for a short stay in winter” which arrive at the top of the rankings on the Internet, such as Amsterdam, Vienna, Barcelona, Genoa, Lisbon or Valencia. Thus, the Voltère firm went to see what these competing cities offered to draw inspiration from. In short: “They created products”. So that’s the plan.
Tracks to work on
The first track is the Carnival which, according to Loïc Chovelon, does not have the impact it deserves. “He is successful in France but little internationally,” he continues. In comparison, the one in Venice is powerful with more than 60% of foreign customers and the one in Rio has a worldwide reputation. Both allow hotel occupancy rates of more than 90% over the period, whereas here, we are more around 70%. These two cities have made it their strength, Nice can do it too, it’s rooted in our culture too. »
“Everything has been thought out to include the people of Nice, reassures Catherine Anouilh, marketing and communication director of the Metropolitan Tourist Office. Creating this kind of event and supporting our communication about it is to support the local economy. The people of Nice will be able to take ownership of these events and be all the more proud to come from the capital of the Côte d’Azur. »
A pride recently, it is the classification on the list of the world heritage of Unesco as “the city of the winter resort of Riviera” last year. And the Riviera capital will now play this reference card. The CRT and the OT then looked into what the French municipalities also classified offered. “In Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux, ‘Unesco’ products have been created, develops Catherine Anouilh, marketing and communication director of the Metropolitan Tourist Office. Special “cards”, “routes and visits in the city”, “conferences”, “we need to market our Unesco label better”, says the marketing director.
One idea leading to another, the third track is gastronomy. “Nissarte cuisine has a name, it is recognized and appreciated. We could then create festivals around this local gastronomy in winter as Rennes does but in the fall, says Catherine Anouilh. At this time, we have no competition. »
Don’t forget to offset your carbon
To put all these ideas in place, other meetings will take place during the year but the strategy begins “as of this winter with the launch of 100 tour operators” organized in mid-December, specifies Catherine Anouilh.
Then, it will be communication campaigns and the proposal of special rates, even if the marketing director of the OT confides that the “target” remains a “well-to-do clientele”. “We are looking for customers who bring more revenue, not to have more people, she adds, ensuring that Nice already attracts a lot of “CSP +” people. And this clientele comes mostly from abroad. »
So to offset the carbon footprint that these tourists will have by coming to Nice, by plane, she promises “to work on greener ideas”, which she cannot reveal now, she says. “On site, we will ensure that customers consume more eco-responsible products, such as by encouraging them to use soft mobility. Hotels are also already in this process. »
As François de Canson, president of the CRT Paca concludes: “It all started from Nice, everything will come back from Nice”. And the circle is complete.