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Summer holidays 2020, they are reinventing themselves: “attracting new customers” (Côte d'Azur Regional Tourism Committee)

2020-04-24T15:22:36.029Z


The conditions for deconfinement are becoming clearer and tourism players are adapting their strategy to save the summer season in France. Every day, Le Figaro Voyage interviews a professional in the sector. Today, Claire Béhar, Director General of CRT Côte d'Azur.


  • The situation of CRT Côte d'Azur during confinement

Created to promote tourism in the destination and support professionals in the sector in their development, the Regional Tourism Committee (CRT) has a key role to play during this crisis. " As soon as the confinement was announced, we adapted our working methods to ensure business continuity and organized a committee with our regional partners to anticipate as much as possible the problems they were likely to face ", explains Claire Béhar straight away . Among these professionals are gathered, among others, the tourist offices of the big cities of the region (Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Grasse, Menton…), the airport of Nice and the hotel unions, all impacted by the fall of tourist frequentation .

To help its partners, the CRT has listed all the aid offered on its website: departmental emergency funds set up, regional and state solidarity funds, etc. " We are listening to their requests and sending their requests to of the Secretary of State for Tourism ”, specifies the director general. David Lisnard, president of the CRT and mayor of Cannes, said that it was necessary to set up a real “ Marshall Plan for tourism ”, with the recognition of a state of health emergency so that the insurance companies could revise the contracts and cover the operating loss of establishments in the sector.

Claire Béhar, Director General of CRT Côte d'Azur. CRT Côte d'Azur

  • Summer holidays 2020, the outlook

" What we all ardently hope for today are prospects and a recovery schedule with the details of the reopening health protocols for each profession, " says Claire Bréhar. The director insists on the importance of anticipation, to minimize financial losses as much as possible. The Côte d'Azur France destination, and its associated brand (which includes the Alpes-Maritimes department, part of the Var and Monaco), receives nearly 13 million tourists each year. A white season on the Côte d'Azur is a risk of bankruptcy for many establishments and the loss of more than 150,000 direct and indirect jobs in our territory. We need to prepare for recovery as soon as possible, ”she says.

Read also: Didier Arino: "Tourism this summer will be Franco-French"

Starting with the management of future social distancing measures, essential to reassure the French who already want to plan a vacation in the region. Here we live a lot outdoors, the elected officials are very attentive to these questions. All our professionals are ready to apply the instructions and if it is necessary to remove one mattress out of two on the beaches, they will do it! », Confirms Claire Bréhar. Pending the launch of a large-scale recovery plan, the CRT has implemented a strategy on social networks to continue to bring the destination to life: animations, quiz and launch of the hashtag #fenetresurlacotedazur to encourage Internet users to share their most beautiful photos of the region.

  • The state of mind of the French during these holidays

The historic heart of Menton beats behind the ocher facades, with shutters dimming the light. Boris Stroujko / Adobe Stock

All the studies show that the French are still thinking about their holidays, especially the 25-45 year olds. If the destination is healthy and precautionary measures are taken, there is no reason why we should not be attractive, ”enthuses the Director General. To compensate for the loss of revenue linked to the absence of foreign tourists (half of the attendance in normal times), " we are betting on attracting new customers ". Vacationers who are domiciled 4 or 5 hours from the region by car, or Parisians easily connected by air.

" The transport problem is likely to arise, but we have the advantage of having twelve cities in our territory accessible from the capital, by Nice airport, with Air France shuttles ," she adds. Despite everything, the director general of the CRT confides not to refrain from imagining campaigns with countries in Europe, Germany or Scandinavia, as soon as the restrictions on certain borders are lifted. With the broadcast of the Tour de France, from August 29 to September 20, whose three starting stages take place in Nice, the Côte d'Azur can still count on a prodigious Indian summer.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-04-24

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