Month: November 2016

Monaco’s tourism industry continues to perform well.
The Monaco Tourist and Convention Bureau (DTC) has reported that despite a 2.8 percent drop in hotel room occupancy in 2016, overall profits of the Principality’s hotels rose by 1.3 percent in 2016. The average price of a room during the year rose by 4.3 percent, DTC deputy director, Guy Antognelli, told a meeting of the DTC’s tourism partners at the Meridien Beach Plaza last week.
The average price of a room during the year rose by 4.3 percent, DTC deputy director, Guy Antognelli, told a meeting of the DTC’s tourism partners at the Meridien Beach Plaza last week.
Monaco has also succeeded attracting major business events throughout the year, with Sandrine Camia, Director of the Convention Bureau, saying, “Thirty-one percent of the nights sold outside July and August were the result of Business Tourism.”
At the Grimaldi Forum, the convention centre remains unused only 10 days during the year, again proving the enduring popularity of Monaco as a high-end business destination.

Monaco last week hosted representatives of the Council of Europe’s State Group Against Corruption (GRECO), as part of its fourth round of evaluation on the theme “Preventing Corruption of Members of Parliament, Judges And Prosecutors.”
The five-strong team of evaluators met representatives of the relevant Monegasque institutions (Directorate of Judicial Services and National Council), the High Commission for the Protection of Rights, Freedoms and Mediation, members of the local press and various leaders of civil society, over a four day period.
Following this visit, the team will prepare a draft report which will be sent to the Monegasque authorities for comment. The draft will then be submitted for the consideration of a plenary meeting of GRECO for consideration and adoption.
For the record, one of the commitments made by Monaco when it joined the Council of Europe in 2004 is the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption. By ratifying it in 2007, Monaco automatically acceded to GRECO. The Principality has thus joined the countries committed to actively fight against corruption, to participate in the evaluation process carried out by this group and is itself evaluated by the other member countries.
The work of the Committee is based on the mutual evaluations of its members. Since 2008, Monaco has been the subject of various evaluations under the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of evaluation by GRECO. These joint evaluation cycles ended in December 2012 after GRECO noted the “decisive advances” made by Monaco in the fight against corruption.
The theme of this fourth round of evaluation adopted by GRECO reflects the multidisciplinary nature of its functions and is in line with the second round of evaluation, which dealt with public administration.
 

A new wave of tree trunks and branches arrived on Friday in the port areas of Monaco following the heavy rains of Thursday.
This time the port of Fontvieille was largely spared since it had been possible to leave some anti-pollution protection in place without totally obstructing maritime navigation. However, Port Hercules was more seriously affected and Monaco Harbour Operations Corporation and the Maritime Affairs Department joined forces to collect all the debris in the harbour.
The Yacht Club of Monaco also carried out its own cleaning operation in the marina, a move that lasted through the weekend. Since more floating tree trunks have been reported outside the harbour mouth, a notice to mariners on the necessity of great caution on all Monegasque waters and throughout the Alpes Maritimes region is regularly being relayed by the CROSS MED agency.
Tree trunks have also been collected from the beach at Larvotto.
 

Founder of the low-cost airline easyJet, philanthropist, and Monaco resident Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is launching a new venture using the “easy” name, a string of low-cost coffee shops in London and other UK towns.
The entrepreneur started the easyCoffee chain earlier this year, with two outlets in London and one in Essex, at Southend-on Sea. The chain aims to beat Starbucks and Costa on price, with coffee selling from £1 a cup.
The easyCoffee venture is a partnership between easyGroup and Nathan Lowry, a businessman who has licensed the “easy” name from the company. An upbeat Mr Lowry said that the coffee venture has attracted about 200 expressions of interest from potential franchisees and the aim is to make easyCoffee a presence on many British High Streets.
Article first published November 23, 2016.
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Berry Bros & Rudd has launched a “rare” single cask Scotch whisky from Speyside distillery The Glenrothes that was personally selected by Prince Albert II of Monaco, and presented at the Monte Carlo Whisky Festival at the Metropole last weekend.
The Glenrothes 1992 Dow’s Single Cask was drawn from 27 shortlisted casks personally selected by Prince Albert. The new offering is the second whisky to join The Grimaldi Collection; a selection of 10 single cask Scotch malt whiskies from different distilleries handpicked by Prince Albert II, over a period of five years.
Just 322 bottles of this single cask whisky were drawn and each bottle has been individually numbered and signed.
Ronnie Cox, brands heritage director for The Glenrothes, said: “We are delighted that Prince Albert selected The Glenrothes for his latest collaboration. The initial 27 casks were shortlisted down to three, and members of the Monte Carlo Whisky Society alongside Prince Albert discussed the merits of each casks highly unusual expression. After considerable debate the Dow’s Port wood-finish cask filled with whisky distilled in 1992 was selected. This cask now becomes only the second bottling to join the The Grimaldi Collection.”
The Glenrothes 1992 Dow’s Single Cask Whisky will be available online from lamaisondecosse.com
Article first published November 9, 2016.
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Only one day to go until TEDxMonteCarlo hits the stage at Grimaldi Forum on Saturday, when an impressive list of speakers will engage the audience across the one-day event, with short talks on topics that include sustainability, entertainment and global issues.
TED began in 1984 and the concept has become a global phenomenon: every second, 17 TED Talks are viewed at ted.com, in over 100 languages. As MonacoUSA Director Annette Anderson told Monaco Life earlier, “TEDxMonteCarlo is a prestigious event with global exposure that will reinforce Monaco’s message that the Principality and its residents are so much more than the stereotyped ‘bling and ker-ching!’ image portrayed by the media.”
A not-to-be-missed conference, the list of performers is as diverse as Monaco itself, with something for everyone, from Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag to Bertrand Petyt speaking about how art can be used for good and sustainability, and from Jenke Ahmed Tailly, a creative stylist working with celebrities like Beyoncé, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, to Alan Coxon, TV Presenter and Food Archeologist, who will explore “50 Tastes of Grey”.
Another powerful message will be delivered by Sara Elizabeth Dill, the Director and Chief Counsel Criminal Justice Standards and Policy, an expert in refugee determination, human trafficking and free speech. And Françoise Meunier, Director of Special Projects for the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer will share her views on life after cancer.
For a more comprehensive list of speakers and TEDxMonteCarlo ticket information see tedxmontecarlo.com
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