The year 2000 balance sheet of the French Riviera is more than encouraging : an overall turnover rising by 10.5%, more than 14 million bed nights for tourism, a conquering NICT sector. But…
The French Riviera is better. Much better. The economic balance sheet of 1999 was already very good. The one of year 2000, which has been built up by Francis Perugini, the president of the CCI and Alain Sanz, the director of the Bank of France in Nice, during a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce of Nice Côte d'Azur, is even more dazzling. Here are the most remarkable characteristics.
A turnover rising by 10.5%.All the indicators are soaring. Not only the global turnover of the department (+10.5%, that is to say a double digit growth). But occupation as well (+3.5%), a tendency which keeps on going for 2001. As far as work areas are concerned, the Cannes' area has been the most outstanding one : +13% of turnover, thanks to an exceptional tourist year (+6% for occupation). Grasse has been the less quick (+8.5% of turnover and 3.5 for occupation). Antibes-Sophia has been about average as far as turnover is concerned (+10%) but not for occupation (only +2%). As far as occupation is concerned, only the Menton's area has been behind (+1.5%), while the Var plain has increased as much as Cannes as far as occupation is concerned (+6%) and Nice remains in average (+3.5%). This great growth has been backed-up by exportations (+15.5%).
The explosion of NICT : +22%.Of course tourism has outstanding results. But the New Information and Communication Technologies' sector definitely exploded. The results are all the more remarkable as they represent big volumes : a turnover of almost 30 billion francs for the NICT pole ! Colossal. In this industry, the big groups make the difference. if you take off the seven biggest companies which account for 50% of the turnover, the observed evolution is only up to 14%,Francis Perugini said. With 16.000 employees, a regular growth of occupation by 4.5% a year, a well-lined order book, this sector has become one of the economic pillar of the department. As a comparison, the life sciences' pole which has had pretty good results (+5.5% of growth with a turnover of 10.7 billion francs) almost seems like marking time.
Tourism : 14 million bed nights.Especially Nice has enjoyed such figures. The world congress of gas, the figure skating competition, the European summit : there were a lot of great events during the year. But the whole tourism on the French Riviera did a great work with a progression up to 7.3% and an attendance figure which has passed over the level of 14 million bed nights. The previous level, 13 million, was passed in 1998. The Nice Côte d'Azur airport also experienced such figures (+8.4% with 9.4 million passengers) as well as cruises (+1804% for Nice and Cannes with 302.000 passengers over 426 stops).
Occupation : unemployment has decreased by 14.9%.Better unemployment figures : 44.832 unemployed people in December 2000 as against more than 55.000 early January. The unemployment rate is up to 10.9%, that is to say a little bit more than the national average (9.5%). But the French Riviera is doing better than the PACA region (12.9%). The total occupation in the Alpes-Maritimes increased by 3% and is now up to a figure of 370.02, private and public sectors included.
The pros and the cons.The Alpes-Maritimes developed faster than PACA especially in services (+28% as against +17%). There, the employment progression has been stronger. Another pro figure : the local consumption has been well-oriented (+5.1%), the tourist attendance has been excellent and technologic poles have succeeded. That was for the pros. Here are the cons : accommodation for the active population with a drying of the rent market; the problem of treatment of wastes; transport infrastructures which are overloaded; the necessary development which has not been done yet in activity areas. These are bad results which are coming to darken the future of the French Riviera which has regained its punch.