Monday December 14 marked the start of the annual meeting of the representative offices of the Principality abroad, led by the Directorate of Tourism and Conventions.

Due to the health situation, meetings are being held virtually via a digital platform combined with a physical presence at the Grimaldi Forum. The first day was devoted to “Balance and Strategy.”

In the presence of Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance and Economy, and HE Mrs Marie-Pascale Boisson, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Monaco in China, Guy Antognelli, the DTC’s director, drew up a report detailing the consequences of the pandemic on destination Monaco and outlined the strategies put in place for the year ahead.

“With Covid-19, we are well beyond the impact felt by global tourism during the last two major crises, in 2001-2002 following the World Trade Centre attacks and in 2009 following the financial crisiis, he said.

He said that at the end of November 2020, the number of rooms sold fell by 59 percent, an average price reduction of 10.5 percent and revenue per room in free fall of 63 percent.

Mr Antognelli said that tourism professionals in Monaco are ready to seize the opportunities created by the crisis as they work on its recovery. He said that the reconquest of the market “requires a rethinking of the model”.

An important part of the recovery will involve social and environmental responsibility and sustainable development. It will be part of the DTC’s mission to “participate, directly or indirectly, in all the sustainable development objectives set by the UN (…) (and) to better respond to the demands of aware and demanding customers.”

ORIGINAL SOURCE & PHOTO: Monaco Government Press Office