Cote d’Azur visitor slump
France’s Cote d’Azur has reportedly seen a record slump this summer, with visitor numbers likely to be down some 20% by the end of the peak season.
According to The Times newspaper, while other regions of France have seen their visitor numbers remain steady in recent years, the south of France has failed to keep attracting its traditional market of well-heeled visitors.
Philippe Baute, of the Antibes tourist office, is quoted as saying: “The truth is that a holiday here is no longer a must. A decade ago, you just had to some here if you wanted to be seen as trendy. Today, people go to Croatia, or north Africa, or Cuba, or somewhere like that. Or they look at their bank accounts and decide they are not going anywhere.”
The newspaper reports that many hoteliers and restaurant owners blame the advent of the euro for the slump; on one hand, they say it has led to inflation in France, while on the other, it allows tourists to compare prices in different countries.
But one woman reportedly had a more simple explanation as to why the tourists were not coming in such large numbers any more; she reportedly told the newspaper’s reporter Adam Sage: “They have died and when they are still alive they are in retirement homes. The younger generations just don’t come here.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
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