The Mediterranean Coast: Sun, Sea, and Glamour
The Côte d'Azur: Invented Paradise
The French Riviera represents perhaps the world's first purpose-built tourism destination:The Glamour Corridor - Nice: Balances year-round city life with beach tourism - Cannes: Film festival glamour sustains year-round appeal - Monaco: Luxury concentration in Europe's second-smallest country - Saint-Tropez: Maintains mystique despite mass popularity
Economic Impact - Generates €11 billion annually in tourism revenue - Supports 75,000 direct tourism jobs - Hosts 11 million tourists yearly - Maintains Europe's highest concentration of luxury hotels
Beyond the Glitter - Inland villages like Èze and Saint-Paul-de-Vence offer cultural escapes - Natural parks provide hiking and outdoor activities - Marine tourism includes Europe's largest pleasure boat concentration - Business tourism thrives with conferences and incentive travel
Provence: The Cultivated Landscape
Provence transcends typical tourism by offering an idealized lifestyle:The Lavender and Wine Route - Luberon villages: Gordes, Roussillon showcase perched village perfection - Avignon: Papal history and performing arts festival - Aix-en-Provence: University town with thermal heritage - Arles: Roman monuments and Van Gogh connections
Tourism Products - Wine tourism through Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Rosé country - Market tourism with weekly markets in every village - Cultural festivals from Avignon theater to Aix music - Agritourism on working farms and vineyards
Languedoc-Roussillon: The Engineered Coast
This region represents France's largest planned tourism development:The 1960s Transformation - La Grande-Motte: Modernist architecture for mass tourism - Cap d'Agde: Europe's largest naturist resort - Port-Camargue: Major marina development - Gruissan: Balancing development with nature preservation
Contemporary Evolution - Shift from quantity to quality tourism - Environmental restoration projects - Cultural tourism development inland - Wine tourism in historic vineyards