Tourism figures for July and August for the PACA region show that the Bastille Day atrocity in Nice on July 14 has cost millions of euros in lost revenue.
Following a spate of cancellations immediately after the attack that took the lives of 86 people – many of them tourists – visitor numbers largely rebounded in August, from 43 million in July to 62 million in August. The combined figure for the two peak months was 105 million nights compared to 108 million last year, and tourism revenue of €6.3 billion compared to €6.6 billion in 2015.
The luxury sector was the hardest hit, with occupancy down 18 percent on the year. Nice, Cannes and Nice bore the brunt. However, almost two-thirds of tourism professionals expect a good result for September, helped in part by the continuation of warm weather.
Minister of State, Serge Telle at a press conference Friday commented on the low tourists attendance on the French Riviera: “We are different and completely involved.”
The Minister added, “Feelings of safety are probably stronger in Monaco than the other side of the border … We’ll have some tough years regarding security, and Monaco is getting prepared for it.”