Cannes Resilience: a concrete, concerted action plan to save and revive business and leisure tourism

"The crisis we are going through is an economic and social disaster. It also accelerates change and pushes us to act even faster and stronger to implement committed, strategic initiatives, including the environment and digital transformation of tourism. The Cannes Resilience strategy is a concrete, concerted response to our ambition to meet today's challenges through innovation and targeted investments. We are ready to work, ready to revive the tourism economy in Cannes, ready to welcome the world as we have always done, and as we must do as the economic, social and human stakes that depend on it are essential."

David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes.

An essential collective, proactive approach

The City of Cannes and its Palais des Festivals et des Congrès are setting up a wide-ranging consultation that brings together, via videoconferences since November, the socio-professionals of Cannes in working groups on strategic themes. The debate is further enriched by the intervention of external experts and coordinated by MKG Consulting. A strong will to enable professionals in the sector to take part in future directions to relaunch the Destination.

"We interview our customers, event organisers and our customers’ customers, because it’s essential we base our thoughts on their real needs. This consultation is based on the feedback of experiences from the field, supported by an international competitive study”, explains Didier Boidin, Managing Director of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes.

A clear goal: to save and revive business and leisure tourism

The Covid-19 health crisis has led to changes in the consumption behaviour of tourist customers, a total halt in international visitors, a drop in turnover and a level of uncertainty about the future of the tourism sector.

The volume of overnight stays fell by 60% on the Côte d'Azur, all types of accommodation combined, from January to the end of October 2020 (compared to 2019).

For the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes, the cancelling of events in 2020 resulted in a 73% drop in turnover, i.e. a loss of overall revenue of almost 700 million euros, representing 400 000 fewer business overnight stays in the Cannes basin.

Within this context, the "Cannes Resilience" strategy aims to set a short-term forward-looking working framework on the attractiveness and reach of Cannes as a destination. A strategy that aims to be open to all stakeholders to collectively determine the positioning of Cannes as a region at the forefront of hosting post-Covid-19 events. It will be reviewed at the end of the first quarter of 2021.

"The collective "Cannes Resilience" discussion will allow a new raison d'être to emerge for the whole destination, with new solutions to make Cannes a region with positive impact. This crisis is also an opportunity to reposition ourselves at a time when all standards are being challenged." Jean-Michel ARNAUD, President of SEMEC.

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