Leading tourist destination |
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The French Riviera – France's top tourist destination after Paris –
is known world-wide thanks to its outstanding natural environment and the quality
of its tourism infrastructure.
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Tourism on the Côte d'Azur now accounts for 1% of the world market for overnight
stays. Tourist expenditures (excluding transport and investments) amount to 5 billion
euros. The French Riviera is known for its large international events and its
outstanding setting.
In 2001, the area hosted 9.3 million visitors, more than half of which
came from overseas.
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The stays, averaging eight days, represented 69 million guest nights per year,
in total.
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Foreign visitors, which make up over 58% of the tourists coming to
the French Riviera, travel mainly from Europe (Great Britain, Italy, Germany
and Scandinavia) and the United States.
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| Tourism, a stable activity throughout the year |
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The French Riviera is an attractive area to visit in any season. Tourists have become aware of this, and many visit outside the summer months.Figures speak for themselves: 50% of the overnight stays are registered outside the summer months, and August represents only 15% of the year's total overnight stays.
Source: Touriscope 2001
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| An outstanding array of hotels |
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To meet the ever growing demand of tourists, the French Riviera continues to improve the conditions for hosting its visitors, with an ever expanding concentration of hotels totalling 155,000 beds.
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Over the last five years, hotels have added 27,000 more beds.
There are more than 740 star-classified hotels, with an average annual occupation rate of 64%. More than 30% of the hotel capacity on the Côte d'Azur is classified as 4-star (22% of French 4-star hotels are to be found on the French Riviera).
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Among places to stay, there are also 115 short-term apartment complexes with an average annual occupation rate of 71%.
Source: Touriscope 2001
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| A prime destination for business tourism |
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Business tourism, another important aspect of this strategic sector, generates
alone more than 1.9 million visitors per year. Throughout the year, more than
200 domestic and international business events take place on the French Riviera:
conventions, exhibitions, and trade shows. Each year, more than 400,000 congress-goers
visit the French Riviera, 73% of them coming from overseas.
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The French Riviera is equipped with 22 congress and exhibition halls, located throughout the major Côte d'Azur centres; they are within easy reach from NiceCôte d’Azur Airport and are supported by a dense, high-quality array of hotels.
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Illustrious events:
- International Film Festival, MIP Com, MIP TV, MIPIM, Imagina
- SAP Partner Congress, PeopleSoft Conference, 3GSM World Congress
- international Dental Research Congress, CardioStim, European Dermatology Congress
- World Gas Congress, Tourism@, European Nuclear Energy Congress ENC
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| Cruises, increasing in popularity |
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Sea cruises represent one of the fastest growing tourism sectors, with passenger
numbers rising 17% in 2001 to 350,000. Nice-Villefranche has become France's
premier cruise stop, with 250,900 passengers in 2001.
The ports of Nice, Cannes and Villefranche-sur-Mer hosted 526 cruise ship calls,
up 24% over 2001. 27% of the total traffic use one of these points as their
port of call.
Source: French Riviera Chamber of Commerce / Ports Management Authority, 1/01/2002
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The enduring charm of the French Riviera comes from the mildness of its climate,
its wonderful environment and the historical, architectural, artistic and cultural
sites found within it. What intensifies the area's attractiveness is that there
is such a diversity of sites, from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Alps.
Many recreational complexes are scattered throughout the Riviera region, offering
an extraordinary range of activities: water sports, tennis, golf, horse-riding,
canyoning, hiking, skiing and climbing… not to forget the beaches and seaside
casinos.
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