Category: Industry News

From 1st December to 2 January, the Nice Tourist and Conference Office and Nice Council will be offering a whole host of activities and entertainments to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. Street theatre, strolling players, musicians, theatre troupes and artistes will be offering their talents in Place Masséna and Place Garibaldi to the delight and enchantment of adults and children. And the Christmas Village will have all its usual essential components: skating rink, arts and crafts chalets, tasting stands, pine forest and, of course, Father Christmas!

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of 71.92 km2 (28 sq mi). The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of about 1 millionon an area of 721 km2 (278 sq mi). Located on the south east coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea, Nice is the second-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast after Marseille.

The city is called Nice la Belle (Nissa La Bella in Niçard), which means Nice the Beautiful, which is also the title of the unofficial anthem of Nice, written by Menica Rondelly in 1912. Nice is the capital of the Alpes Maritimes département and the second biggest city of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region after Marseille.

The area of today’s Nice is believed to be among the oldest human settlements in Europe. One of the archaeological sites, Terra Amata, displays evidence of a very early use of fire. Around 350 BC, Greeks of Marseille founded a permanent settlement and called it Nikaia, after Nike, the goddess of victory.

Through the ages, the town has changed hands many times. Its strategic location and port significantly contributed to its maritime strength. For years it was a Piedmontese dominion, then became part of France between 1792 and 1815, when it was returned to Piedmont-Sardinia until its annexation by France in 1860. Culturally and architecturally enriched over time, today Nice has become a truly cosmopolitan tourist destination. The spectacular natural beauty of the Nice area and its mild Mediterranean climate came to the attention of the English upper classes in the second half of the 18th century, when an increasing number of aristocratic families took to spending their winter there. The city’s main seaside promenade, the Promenade des Anglais (‘the Walkway of the English’) owes its name to the earliest visitors to the resort. For decades now, the picturesque Nicean surroundings have attracted not only those in search of relaxation, but also those seeking inspiration.

The clear air and soft light has been of particular appeal to some of Western culture’s most outstanding painters, such as Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Niki de Saint Phalle and Arman. Their work is commemorated in many of the city’s museums, including Musée Marc Chagall, Musée Matisse and Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret. The climate and landscape are still what attracts most visitors today. It has the second largest hotel capacity in the country and it’s the second-most visited place in France after Paris, receiving 4 million tourists every year. It also has the second busiest airport in France after Paris and two convention centres dedicated to business tourism. The city also has a university, several business districts and some major cultural facilities, such as museums, a national theatre, an opera house with a regional library and several concert halls and casinos. It is the historical capital city of the County of Nice (Comté de Nice).

Nice experiences a Mediterranean climate. The summer/holiday season lasts for 6 months, from May to October, although in April and November sometimes there are temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F). Winters are mild, with average temperatures of 13.4 °C (56.1 °F) during the day and 5.8 °C (42.4 °F) at night in the period from December to February.

Cannes is a city located in the French Riviera. It is a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a commune of France located in the Alpes-Maritimes department.

The city is also famous for its various luxury shops, restaurants, and hotels. On 3 November 2011 it played host to the G20 organisation of industrialised nations.

Cannes has a Mediterranean climate and the city enjoys 12 hours of sunshine per day during summer (May to September), while in winter (December to February) the weather is mild. Both seasons see a relatively low rainfall and most rain occurs during October and November, when 110 mm falls.

Cannes summers are long and warm, with summer daytime temperatures regularly hitting 30 °C (86 °F), while average temperatures are about 25 °C (77 °F). Temperatures remain high from June to September, the busiest time of the year. Despite the hot daytime temperatures, a Mediterranean breeze keeps summer evenings comfortably cool.

Temperatures drop below 10 °C (50 °F) for only three months of the year (December to February). The spring and autumn are also warm, although more suited to those who prefer slightly cooler weather.

As a result of archaeological excavations along the route of the tramway, Nice has rediscovered part of its past as a citadel with walls comparable to those of Carcassonne!

Although it was known that they existed, what was not known was the extent of the remains that have stood up to the test of time and to the destruction carried out by Louis XIV’s soldiers. 800 years of history have gradually been revealed, just 6 metres below Place Garibaldi, before the eyes of archaeologists astounded by the state of conservation of these ancient stones. A major archaeological site has been uncovered: a crypt covering 2,000 m2 (the area covered by the Louvre). The discovery is one of the most important archaeological finds in the last 30 years in France!

 Visitors can now descend to the heart of Nice’s past, admire the walls and stroll beneath Rue Jean-Jaurès and Place Garibaldi among medieval bastions and towers.
 A museographic trail has been laid to make it easier for visitors to walk through this extraordinary, historic 2,000 m2 maze along a gangway built over the floor.

There is no doubt that the crypt will become one of the leading cultural and tourist attractions on the French Riviera. The archaeological crypt “Lu Bastioun” has just been listed as a historic monument.

As the public fairs, galas and the first Christmas parties continue to keep everyone busy here at the Hofburg Vienna, the industry is also turning its attention to the Austrian carnival season which began on 11 November. On 31 December Vienna will celebrate the first ever Le Grand Bal of the Hofburg, a glittering new arrival which will also get the Viennese ball season underway. The city has a total of 21 balls lined up at the former imperial residence in 2012/13. 

The slogan of the Crowne Plaza is “The place to meet”. Event organisers in Berlin will soon have a chance to see for themselves the quality of the hotel chain. 256 rooms including a club floor with its own separate lounge are under construction in the former Postpalais on Potsdamer Platz. It will encompass some 500 square metres of meeting and event space and is due for completion by January 2013. 

The luxury Waldorf Astoria Group will open its first new-build hotel in Europe in autumn 2012. This will be located in the immediate vicinity of Kurfürstendamm and the Zoological Garden. The 31-storey Waldorf Astoria Berlin will feature 232 luxurious rooms and suites and a conference area with a 330 square metre ballroom. 

A five-star residence in the diplomatic quarter in Berlin – the Spanish hotel group “Whim” plans to open its first hotel in November 2012 close to the “Tiergarten” park. “Das Stue” (Danish for “living room”) will have 81 individual rooms and suites, a daylight Spa and two conference rooms. For the hotel, the former building of the Danish embassy, dating back to 1939, was redesigned. The starred Spanish chef, Paco Pérez, is to take over the management of the hotel’s in-house restaurant. 

After an 11-year absence, the MTV European Music Awards will be returning to Frankfurt on 11th November 2012. The Festhalle, part of the Frankfurt Fair & Exhibition Centre, will once again be serving as the glamorous backdrop for this massive international music event. International stars like Taylor Swift and Muse are scheduled to perform live on stage. This year’s award ceremony will be hosted by the German top-model, Heidi Klum. 

The Frankfurt Christmas Market is one of the oldest, largest and most beautiful yuletide celebrations in all of Germany. Idyllically set on the Römerberg and featuring a lush 28-metre-tall Christmas tree, the market exudes a nostalgic holiday atmosphere popular with visitors of all ages. Each year, some three million visitors from near and far flock to the Frankfurt Christmas Market during the Advent season to stroll and cajole amongst the colourfully decorated stalls and booths, which offer everything from handcraft to traditional culinary favourites like “Bethmännchen” marzipan candies and “Brenten” biscuits.