The Côte d'Azur's tourism season has split sharply down the middle this summer, with hotels posting some of their best occupancy figures in years even as restaurants across the Alpes-Maritimes report one of their most difficult seasons in recent memory.
According to figures from UMIH06, the Alpes-Maritimes hospitality trade body, hotel occupancy along the coast has regularly exceeded 85 percent this summer, driven by a growing international clientele undeterred by rising costs. Restaurants have seen the opposite trend, with many establishments reporting footfall down 15 to 20 percent compared to previous years, a figure that climbs to as much as 25 percent among traditional sit-down restaurants specifically.
Industry figures point to a combination of repeated heatwaves discouraging midday dining and squeezed household purchasing power as the main drivers behind the decline, even as the region's headline hotel numbers suggest a booming season on paper. The disconnect underscores a broader shift in how visitors are spending on the Riviera this year, favouring accommodation over dining out as costs climb across the board.