Tourist and Convention Authority annual conference focuses on future of luxury and business tourism

©Direction de la Communication - Michael Alesi

A presentation on “The Future of Luxury and Business Tourism” was given on Monday 17 October at the opening of the Tourist and Convention Authority’s annual conference, which brings together professionals from the Monegasque tourism industry and the Authority’s promotional offices abroad. The conference was held at the Novotel Monte-Carlo.

With the Minister of State, Pierre Dartout, and the Minister of Finance and Economy, Jean Castellini, in attendance, the Director of the Tourist and Convention Authority, Guy Antognelli, quickly set the scene for the presentation: in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry saw a lot of change. Some of these changes have endured, suggesting a need to explore new areas of development and ways to improve in order to best respond to customer demand in the Principality.

This year, Franck Goldnadel, the CEO of Nice Airport, Gabriel Donida, the founder of Atelier Voyage, and Panos Tzivanidis, Director of Corporate Events and Services for the International Olympic Committee, were invited to share their thoughts on the future of luxury and business tourism with the audience.

The session highlighted the need for tourism to embrace innovation as a way of understanding how to meet the needs of the future as well as those of sustainable tourism.

“There is a very clear need to transform the airline industry to make it more sustainable,” stressed Franck Goldnadel, taking Nice Airport as an example.

“It’s not about stopping travelling, but about travelling smartly,” emphasised Panos Tzivanidis. “A trend within the IOC has become clear: our customers are staying for longer and incorporating several destinations instead of just one to reduce their carbon footprint.”

“Customers no longer just want nice rooms, they want experiences,” said Gabriel Donida. “In our travel agencies, millennials are pushing us to rethink what we are offering and go beyond what currently exists.”

Finally, this inaugural conference shone a spotlight on many solutions that can help the industry to better understand demand and also commit to more sustainable tourism, one of the key concerns for people aged 26–41.

©Direction de la Communication - Michael Alesi