It's an important weekend for socio-professionals in Cannes. Impacted by the last few weeks of gloomy weather, Cannes restaurateurs hope to redress the situation while the Cité des Festivals is experiencing a last hectic weekend of school holidays, between the NRJ Music Awards ceremony which took place this Friday evening at the Palais des Festivals and the arrival on Sunday of the 16th edition of the Alpes-Maritimes marathon between Nice and Cannes.
For Alain Lahouti, president of the UMIH (Union of Hotel Trades and Industries) of Cannes, this long weekend is welcome, even if it will undoubtedly not make up for a complicated autumn.
“The main concern is that there is no longer any room for chance, testifies Alain Lahouti. The nature of consumption has changed, which means that before, a geographical area concerned was guaranteed to receive customers, but now, and particularly in Cannes, people must be accredited or invited to go to an event or a congress, like here, for the NRJ Music Awards. So those who are not, don’t come.”
“Athletes prefer to sleep in Nice”
Concerning the marathon, Alain Lahouti also indicates that not all professionals will be able to benefit from the economic repercussions of the event. “There will be specific impacts on certain establishments, those which are in direct proximity to the route, he explains. But, overall, the weather episodes this fall have had repercussions on our establishments and on customers who have gotten into the habit of no longer going out. So, if we cannot yet quantify the drop, we know that the period is complicated.
On the hotel side, on the other hand, the impact of this weekend will be less. “We had a very good month of September with an occupancy rate of 80%, as well as a good month of October, says Christine Welter, president of the Cannes Basin Hoteliers Union. The NRJ Music Awards have a few overnight stays, it's true, unlike the marathon which, historically, does not fill the Cannes destination. Athletes prefer to sleep in Nice at the start rather than at the finish.”
On the Airbnb platform, reservations should also be on the rise. Contacted, however, she did not wish to disclose the number of reservations or searches carried out.
Marathon 2024: a record and a lot of benefits
Even before the athletes' performances, the 2024 Alpes-Maritimes marathon can boast of posting a first record: the number of participants. This Sunday, there will be 18,000 (17,809 exactly) at the start on the Promenade des Anglais, or 3,000 more than the last record edition, in 2015.
A significant number which will undoubtedly benefit the towns of the Riviera. “During the last edition, the economic benefits were of the order of 14.05 million euros, indicates Pascal Thiriot, president of Azur Sport Organisation, the company organizing the event. This number includes accommodation, restaurants and various shops. It is estimated that these benefits are distributed at 60% for the city of Nice, which hosts the departure, around 40% for Cannes, upon arrival.”
Athletes from all over the planet
The Alpes-Maritimes marathon is the second in France, behind that of Paris, to welcome a large number of foreigners. Thus, 31% of participants come from outside France. In order, the most represented countries are the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, the United States, Sweden, Poland, Finland and the Netherlands- Down. In total, 94 nationalities are represented for this 2024 edition.
Among the 69% of French runners, all departments are represented. Around 30% come from the Sud-Paca region (18% from Alpes-Maritimes, 5% from Bouches-du-Rhône, 4% from Var), 11% of athletes arrive from Île de France, 9% from Auvergne -Rhône-Alpes, 4% of Hauts-de-France, 4% of Occitanie and 4% of Grand Est.
