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Day: 6 June 2022

Nice Airport adds new Gulf Air Bahrain route

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/06/2022

Gulf Air, the official airline for the island nation of Bahrain, has announced a new Nice to Bahrain route, only the second in France, using airplanes with some of the best environmental standards on the market.

Nice Côte d’Azur’s reach is expanding with the announcement of a new flight from Kuwait to Nice. Only Paris can boast this routing in France, showing the significance of Nice and the region as an attractive destination to high-end travellers from the Gulf.

The new Gulf Air route is the third connecting Nice to the Middle East, the other two flying to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and it is using the latest generation of Airbus 321neo airplanes. These aircraft boast excellent environmental performance, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30% compared to others in the same category.

“This new route symbolises our strategy which is to reconcile the development of our network, for the benefit of the dynamism of our territory, and the search for the best environmental efficiency, by the use of the most modern aircraft and the least emissive,” said Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Management Board of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.

The flight is direct from Kuwait to Nice, with the return flight stopping over in Rome Fiumicino. The plane has 166 seats, 16 of those premium.

“It is very exciting for our national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain to reach further places and connect multiple cities in the East and the West to its hub in Bahrain,” Gulf Air Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said. “On the western side of our network map, we are delighted to launch flights to Nice on the Cote d’Azur as a boutique destination catering to our premium leisure travellers. As we operate our flights to this popular seasonal destination with our environment-conscious Airbus 321neo aircraft featuring flat-beds and superior in-flight entertainment system; we are confident our passengers will experience more enjoyable journeys with Gulf Air.”

This routing will be available for passengers to fly from now until 29th September.

 

 

 

Photo source: Wael Yusuf, Gulf Air

 

 

 

 

Photos: Serenity wins 2022 Riviera Water Bike Challenge

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/06/2022

As the sun shone brightly over the Principality on Sunday, close to a hundred brave people took to the waters off Port Hercule for a gruelling 24-kilometre Riviera Water Bike Challenge, in which reigning champions team Serenity renewed their top position.

With Princess Charlene in self-isolation after contracting Covid-19, it was up to her husband Prince Albert II and children Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella to cheer on the teams on Sunday 5th June.

The Prince signalled the start of the challenge at exactly 10:10am at the Yacht Club of Monaco, where 19 water bikes took off to join the course at the Solarium de la Digue Rainier III where the relay zone was located.

In the end, a total of 95 people took part in the challenge, including 41 sports celebrities. The aim: to raise awareness of and funding for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.

With the sun shining, the public came out in force to cheer on the cyclists at the Solarium, as they completed 22 laps in difficult conditions of heat, humidity, and swell.

Photo by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

After more than two hours and 50 minutes of racing, it was team Serenity who crossed the finish line at the Yacht Club first. The team was made up of Gareth Wittstock, Secretary General of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, Terence Parkin, Ambassador of the Foundation, Caleb Ewan, Philip Deignan and David Tanner.

The A&S Estate team finished 2nd, with Edgard John Augustin – aka Bionic Body – and Greg Minnaar, while the Interpadel team, with Foundation Ambassador Bjørn Maaseide, Thor Hushovd and Federico Vella, completed the podium.

Photo by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

Prince Albert II presented the trophies to the winning teams. They were created especially for this event by local jeweller Alberto Vitale and made from recycled materials found on the beach of Monaco.

Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario and Ambassador of France to Monaco Laurent Stefanini presented the trophies respectively to the 2nd and 3rd teams.

The Riviera Water Bike Challenge is designed as a fun and friendly sporting challenge to raise funds for the prevention of drowning. This year, the money will finance the ‘Swim for Safety’ project supported by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in Sri Lanka, to teach swimming and water safety to underprivileged children. The public were able to follow the race online, from start to finish, and donate by voting for their favourite team.

There was a great atmosphere at both the Solarium and the Yacht Club of Monaco, where everyone was able to enjoy a bbq, live music, and a jumping castle for the kids.

Photo by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

Cap Optimist hits the open seas

Come 2.30pm, it was time for Stéphanie Geyer Barneix, Race Director of the Riviera Water Bike Challenge, to kick start the Cap Optimist: Monaco Athens expedition, departing from the Yacht Club of Monaco. The Cap Optimist team is made up of six experienced water women and lifesaving champions – Stéphanie Geyer Barneix, Alexandra Lux, Emmanuelle Bescheron, Itziar Abascal, Margot Calvet, and Marie Goyeneche, who will take turns on a paddleboard to reach Athens, Greece, in 15 days, covering more than 1,800 kilometres.

The aim is to raise funds for the educational projects of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and for the ELPIDA association in Greece, which accompanies sick children with cancer.

Photo by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

The race was blessed in the presence of Prince Albert, Minister of State Pierre Dartout, Ambassador of France to Monaco Laurent Stefanini, and many Monegasque personalities.

This expedition is also a preparation for the great Cap Optimist crossing in the South Pacific, from Peru to French Polynesia, which aims to set a new world record in 2023 and promote the Hope Team East association, a group which helps sick people to live better thanks to sport. People can support Cap Optimist by purchasing kilometers (1 km = 100€).

Click on the gallery below for more photos from the Riviera Water Bike Challenge, photos by Claudia G. Albuquerque…

 

SEE ALSO:

Gareth Wittstock: “There will be plenty of competitive spirit on the day”

Teams chosen for Riviera Water Bike Challenge

 

 

Top photo of Gareth Wittstock and Prince Albert by Claudia G. Albuquerque

 

 

 

In numbers: Monaco hails grand prix a huge success

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/06/2022

As the enormous task of dismantling the grand prix circuit gets underway, it is time to take stock of this year’s Formula 1 GP and, according to the government, it was “unquestionably” one of the best in recent history.

The Monaco Grand Prix is the Principality’s biggest event of the year, attracting the social elite, sports celebrities, A-listers and racing enthusiasts from across the globe for a weekend of partying, and of course racing.

But this year felt different. Held from Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th May, the lead up to the big event appeared as busy as the race day itself. This was obviously due to the fact that the 2021 edition was cancelled because of Covid-19, and heavy restrictions were placed on the 2021 GP limiting capacity by 50%.

According to a statement by the Monaco government on Monday, “all the indicators show that the 2022 edition was a real success after two measured years”. It was a “positive trend that also characterised the e-Prix and the Historic Grand-Prix organised earlier in May”.

Crowds descend on the Principality

Whether by rail, boat or helicopter, the number of people who arrived on Monegasque soil to attend the Grand Prix did so in greater numbers than in 2019, the last GP unaffected by Covid. Meanwhile, the number of vehicles entering the Principality stagnated, which the government considers an encouraging sign that people are finally favouring public transport as a way of access during the busy weekend.

Photo by Soriano Motori for Monaco Life

Here are the figures:

  • Helicopters: from Wednesday 25th to Monday 30th May, there were 2,400 helicopter trips for 5,075 passengers transported. Compared to 2019, this is +21% in movement and +4% in passengers.
  • Trains: whether arriving or leaving the Principality, the number of travellers was up compared to 2019: 106,683 arriving visitors (96,721 in 2019) and 94,545 departing visitors (60,840 in 2019). This upward trend was also evident in the e-Prix and for the 13th Historic Grand Prix.
  • Boats: 142 boats were able to anchor in the ports of Monaco, compared to 129 in 2019, however 217 requests had actually been submitted to the port authorities. On Sunday, race day, 1,744 cruise passengers spread over five ships also entered Monaco. In addition, there were 33 ships that were at anchor in Monegasque territorial waters.
  • Vehicles: on the day of the race, 86,831 entries/exits from Monaco were recorded compared to 89,467 in 2019.

Accommodation reaches welcome highs

The high number of visitors to the Principality can also be seen in the first figures available for the hotel industry. The results are higher than those achieved in 2019, which remains the last reference year, with an occupancy rate up by +3% and an average room price of +18%. The cumulative occupancy rates of 3, 4 and 5-star hotels over the four days of the Grand Prix are close to or equal to 100%.

With regards to the catering sector, an initial estimate resulting from a Welcome Office survey of restaurateurs shows that 80% of them believe that the Monaco Grand Prix has had a “positive or even very positive impact” on their activity. They noted a strong crowd over the four days, especially for the establishments located in La Condamine and Monte-Carlo. The clientele was of various nationalities, mainly of European origin such as France, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany, but also from the United States and Latin America.

Overall, the restaurateurs interviewed praised the work in terms of security.

“The Prince’s Government salutes the commitment of all the private and public players who, through their professionalism, have enabled this 79th Formula 1 Grand-Prix to be a success and thus mark an encouraging start to the summer season,” concluded the government.

SEE ALSO:

Why a cloud of uncertainty lingers over the Monaco Grand Prix

Top photo by Monaco Life

 

 

 

Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/06/2022

A unique and unexpected combination of forces, Barclays Bank, Fight AIDS Monaco and Stars’N’Bars, joined together last week to celebrate inclusion and diversity in honour of Pride month.

Pride month, June in the United States, marks the commemoration of the Stonewall Riots, the 1969 event that is considered the catalyst for the modern LGBT rights movement.

In the early hours of 28th June 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club, in New York City’s Greenwich village, arresting patrons and employees. This sparked a series of protests and violent clashes with the law that lasted six days. Stonewall is credited as being a major turning point for the gay rights movement, leading to a slow but steady trickle of new legislation and societal change. 

In solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community in Monaco, Barclays Private Bank, Fight AIDS Monaco and Stars’N’Bars banded together for a special event on the Startdeck of Stars’N’Bars on 2nd June to celebrate sexual and gender diversity.

Photo source: Fight Aids Monaco

The event drew a crowd of roughly 80 people, many sporting the rainbow colours of the Pride movement, a symbol created in 1978 by artist and late drag performer Gilbert Baker. 

Barclays has, through initiatives and employee networking, become an inclusive and welcoming workplace for all people. Their efforts have led to nominations from organisations such as Stonewall and Human Rights Campaign.

Additionally, Fight AIDS Monaco, headed up by Princess Stephanie, has been around since 2004 as a place that condemns all forms of inequality, discrimination and violence against people living with HIV.

Photo source: Fight Aids Monaco

With the motto “Do what you love, love what you do. Make a difference”, Stars’N’Bars, the USA-themed restaurant that has been a mainstay of the Port of Monaco for nearly three decades, has been committed to ensuring that anyone who comes through the doors is treated with kindness, respect and tolerance.

Pride month, which officially turns 50 this year, is celebrated around the globe in many ways ranging from the solemn to the carnivalesque.

 

 

Photos source: Fight Aids Monaco

 

 

 

Monaco holds open day to showcase national archives

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/06/2022

The archival history of Monaco will be made available to the public for one day only this month, offering a first-hand glimpse at rare photos and documents usually only seen by professionals in the field.

Letters, photos and documents… all the things we tend to squirrel away in our own personal keepsake boxes are exactly the kinds of things that governments store for future generations as well.

To celebrate the 4th International Archives Week, the Monegasque government has decided to give the world a glimpse at the very intimate archival records that have shaped the Principality over the years, under this year’s theme of #WeAreThe Archives.

The people of Monaco and beyond are invited on Friday 10th June to visit the Ministry of State, Place de la Visitation, from 9:30am to 5pm to explore the rich historical pieces that have been collected over the years, showing the growth and changes that have shaped the Principality.

The event, organised worldwide by the International Council on Archives and which Monaco has been a part of since last year, is being organised locally by the National Archives Prefiguration Mission (MPAN), created in 2021, and the Central Archives and Administrative Documentation Service (SCADA).

The two entities will present to visitors a vast wealth of historical items and information including the National Archives project, a look at the archival professions, and original documents emblematic of the Principality’s contemporary history, mainly from the 20th century. The public can except to view many interesting pieces such as signed letters from 20th century personalities, posters, and old maps and plans for the development of the port, piers, lighthouses, sewers, first embankments and the like from the beginning of the 20th century, as well as old photographs, directories and official journals of the Principality. Additionally, there will be collections of handwritten regulatory texts and 18th and 19th century prints.

There will also be a showing of the storage warehouse for the Princes’ archives, a presentation of the inventory in progress of a private association fund recently submitted to MPAN for processing and valuation, and a demonstration of the new SCADA and MPAN archival information system.

Special focus will be on the era of Prince Albert I, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his death this year, as well as the sports legacy of Monaco highlighting the Grand Prix as a crown jewel.

Guided one-hour tours for groups of up to six are available. Guests must be at least seven years old to attend. To book a time slot, email scada@gouv.mc or ring them on +377 98 98 95 00.

 

 

Photo of Lorenzo Bandini’s accident at the 1967 F1 GP ©DR

 

Roca Team one win away from Betclic Elite final

by: Luke Entwistle
06/06/2022

AS Monaco Basketball were made to work for the victory in the dying stages of their Betclic Elite semi-final second-leg against Pau-Lacq-Orthez (79-72), but in triumph, they moved to within a victory of the final.

Yakouba Outtara said after victory in the first-leg that he expected a “reaction” from Pau, but Monaco didn’t allow them to react as they maintained the high levels of intensity and concentration that saw them finish second in the regular season.

Any “reaction” from the away-side on Saturday was a delayed one, as their fourth-quarter comeback was a case of too little too late. 2-0 down in the series Pau now have to win both ties on their home court just to take the series to a decider at the Salle Gaston Médécin.

Based on what has been seen thus far, that is an unlikely scenario. The underdogs haven’t been given a sniff, and Sasa Obradovic’s men will be looking to finish the job in efficient professional style in the third-leg on Tuesday.

Outtara picked up where he left off, as he got the Roca Team off to a scoring start. Nonetheless, Pau managed to stay within touching distance during the first-quarter as some slick passing worked good openings on the edge of the key.

But they simply couldn’t shut Monaco out. Dwayne Bacon, top scorer on the day with 20 points, was unstoppable within the key, whilst Donta Hall was an ever-present menace in the attacking phases.

By the end of the third-quarter, Obradovic’s men had worked a 16-point lead, and although that gap proved too large to breach, Pau did give Monaco a scare by getting within seven-points. Ultimately, however, Monaco finished the job (79-72) and should they approach the third tie with the same level of professionalism, they will surely book their place in the Betclic Elite final.

Obradovic knows that in order to do so, they will likely have to avoid repeating their fourth-quarter collapse. “The most important thing is the victory, but we certainly made the task difficult for ourselves. When we have such a big lead, we can’t let hope creep into the opponent’s game. We have to kill the game as soon as possible,” said the Serbian coach. “We want to finish this series as quickly as possible and give ourselves the maximum resting time before the final.”

Victory on Tuesday will give Monaco the perfect conditions to allow them to finish their incredible season with silverware.

 

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball