- In Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, the crisis would already cost between 4 and 5 billion euros in tourism revenue.
- Emergency aid has been put in place to save the existing supply.
- As soon as the containment ends, tourism players will focus on French customers, before targeting the international market.
“Tourism revenue in the South region is 20 billion euros per year. It is clear that a quarter will turn almost to zero ... In my opinion, the immediate impact is 4 to 5 billion euros. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne did not need to do long calculations to assess the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on the tourism industry in the Paca region. It was through the latter that the Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs began this week his "virtual tour of France of the regions".
At the end of this meeting, Renaud Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, described the crisis facing the tourism sector in Paca. “92% of the regional economy is impacted strongly, or very strongly. In tourism, 99% is flat! Hotel occupancy rates have fallen below 1%. This has dramatic consequences. Especially when tourism represents 13% of GDP and nearly 140,000 jobs at the regional level.
Hotels, restaurants, business tourism… All impacted
In Nice, where tourism accounts for 18% of the city's GDP, "the activity is unprecedented and catastrophic", says Denis Cippolini, president of the Federation of hotels, restaurants and tourism Nice Côte d'Azur . “99.5% of our hotels and 100% of our restaurants, beaches and night establishments are closed. No seasonal employment is provided. And at the departmental level, of those eligible for partial unemployment, 30% come from the hotel industry… ”
MipTV, Mipim, Midem, CanneSeries and Cannes Lions canceled, Cannes Film Festival pending. In the city of festivals, business and congress tourism are paying the price for the coronavirus. A sector in which the few event reporting solutions generate net losses.
Save the existing offer
To face this crisis, support measures for French companies have multiplied at all levels. At the national level, the State has allocated 552 million euros in the form of guaranteed loans, including 35 million euros paid to the South region, with an average ticket amounting to 140,000 €. Another device put in place: the “to be enforced” order. "To limit the impact of the crisis on their cash flow", travel operators have the capacity to compensate their customers by providing them with a credit to use after leaving containment.
For its part, the Region, through its president Renaud Muselier, announced on March 30 an emergency, solidarity and recovery plan in the amount of 1.4 billion euros. 70 million are intended for businesses, including those in tourism.
At the same time, the Paca regional tourism committee (CRT) promoted the creation of a “regional tourism sector committee” in order to “save the existing offer”. "It must allow all the heads of networks and large institutional players to cross their information," says François de Canson, president of CRT Paca. We must play collectively and relay regional and national systems to our businesses. Today, there is a need to give them back oxygen so that they can stay the distance. "
Imagine “post-coronavirus” tourism
In order to revive the tourism economy after the health crisis, CRT Paca and all its partners have embarked on their “Marshall plan to win back”. "In the short term, the CRT and its partners have chosen to bet on French and sub-regional customers", specifies its president. To convince them, a communication campaign to promote the destinations Provence, Alpes and Côte d'Azur is planned on all dissemination media (posters, radio, television, digital). "It is the largest of its type ever made in France," highlights François de Canson. Budget: nearly 1.5 million euros. "A major promotion of our destinations at Galeries Lafayette in Paris is also planned this summer," adds the representative of the CRT. Amount of the transaction: 1 million euros.
Our file on the coronavirus
In a second step, tourism professionals will broaden their promotional activities to international customers. “This will be decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the reopening of the markets. Campaigns that were planned for early spring will be postponed and adapted to the new context, ”specifies François de Canson.
According to tourism professionals, the recovery will take place gradually over a year and a half to two years.
Economy
Coronavirus in Cannes: Professionals "are all impacted and many jobs are affected" by conference cancellations
Economy
Coronavirus: French regions want to get involved in an economic recovery plan
Is it time to book for your summer vacation?
“For the moment, (…) I advise the French to be very careful when preparing their trips because the situation today is still too uncertain. I tell them to wait, ”replied Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Secretary of State for Transport, Tuesday April 7 on France Info. A position joined by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. “The priority is to overcome the epidemic. It is very risky to make projections. Making this type of reservation is very uncertain. "
- Renaud Muselier
- Tourism
- Covid 19
- Marseille
- Coronavirus
- Nice