Riviera on the Rise: 2025 Confirms a New Tourism Era

 

The French Riviera closed 2025 with another strong performance, confirming that its tourism rebound is no longer a post-crisis correction but a durable structural trend. According to figures published on January 12 by the French Riviera Tourism Observatory, the Alpes-Maritimes and Monaco welcomed more than 12 million visitors in 2025, up from around 11.5 million in 2024.

Growth was driven primarily by international demand, which now represents over 55% of total visitors, surpassing pre-crisis levels, while domestic tourism eased slightly. For Côte d’Azur France Tourisme, this shift underlines the destination’s ability to attract and retain a high-spending, globally mobile clientele, positioning the Riviera firmly in the premium segment of the Mediterranean market.

Air traffic remains the backbone of this expansion. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport handled 15.23 million commercial passengers in 2025, a 3.2% year-on-year increase, powered almost entirely by international routes (+4.7%). Domestic traffic edged down marginally, while aircraft movements rose by just 1.9%, highlighting improved load factors and larger aircraft. Long-haul markets strengthened markedly: the United States became the leading foreign market, accounting for more than 15% of international overnight stays, alongside continued strength from the UK, Italy, and Germany. Particularly striking growth came from Turkey (+50%), Japan (+35%), China (+30%) and the Middle East (+21%), reinforcing the Riviera’s global reach.

Visitors arriving by air spent on average more than €110 per day, amplifying tourism’s economic impact across hospitality, retail, gastronomy, and luxury services.

The accommodation sector translated this demand into higher revenues. Hotels and serviced residences recorded nearly 13 million overnight stays, maintaining historically high volumes while significantly improving profitability. Annual hotel occupancy hovered around 66%, but key indicators moved decisively upmarket: the average stay reached 2.5 nights, stays rose by 1%, overnight stays by 3%, and RevPAR climbed 7% after an already strong 2024. Furnished tourist rentals followed the same trajectory, with supply up 6%, occupancy at 62%, and RevPAR reaching €111, also a 7% increase.

These figures reflect both pricing power and a more even distribution of demand throughout the year.

Seasonality, long a structural challenge for the Riviera, continued to soften. Summer 2025 set new records, with hotel occupancy averaging 85% from June to September and RevPAR up 9%. June now performs at levels once reserved for peak summer months, confirming the extension of the high season.

At the same time, the mountains benefited from the region’s four-season strategy: the start of the 2025–2026 winter season showed strong momentum, with 66% occupancy at Christmas and nearly 90% over New Year, supported by resort investments and diversified offerings beyond traditional skiing.

Beyond the numbers, 2025 also reinforced several underlying trends: a growing share of long-haul and repeat visitors, strong performance in business tourism and international events, and an increased focus on sustainability, mobility management, and quality over volume.

Looking ahead to 2026, Côte d’Azur France Tourisme aims to consolidate growth while avoiding saturation. As its president Alexandra Borchio Fontimp summed up, the priority is clear: continue expanding tourism’s economic benefits while spreading visitor flows, protecting quality of life, and positioning the French Riviera as a sustainable, year-round destination.

Lou Queernaval Returns to Nice: A Carnival of Pride, History, and Visibility

 

Nice is preparing once again to burst into color, music, and unapologetic self-expression as Lou Queernaval, France’s first and only LGBTQIA+ carnival, returns on February 27, 2026. Free and open to all, this joyful event has quickly become a standout moment on the Côte d’Azur’s cultural calendar—one that blends carnival tradition with a powerful message of inclusion and visibility.

Organized by the COC LGBTQI association, with the active support and commitment of the City of Nice, Lou Queernaval is far more than a parade. It is a celebration of diversity, creativity, and collective joy, welcoming LGBTQIA+ communities, allies, families, and visitors from around the world to take part in a uniquely Niçois expression of pride.

The name Lou Queernaval itself is a playful nod to the Niçois dialect—“Lou” meaning “the”—combined with Queer and Carnaval, firmly rooting the event in local tradition while reimagining it through a contemporary, inclusive lens. From its beginnings, Lou Queernaval was created to address a simple but important absence: despite France’s long carnival history and vibrant LGBTQIA+ culture, there had never been a carnival dedicated specifically to queer visibility.

Carnival, by nature, has always been about inversion, freedom, and challenging norms—masks come off, rules bend, and identities can be joyfully exaggerated or reinvented. Lou Queernaval builds on this centuries-old tradition, using the language of carnival to celebrate identities that have too often been marginalized or made invisible. It is festive, yes—but it is also quietly political, reclaiming public space with joy rather than confrontation.

Expect flamboyant costumes, music, dance, drag, and an atmosphere that is both celebratory and welcoming. Lou Queernaval is designed to be accessible and inclusive, whether you’re deeply involved in LGBTQIA+ activism or simply curious and supportive. The emphasis is on safety, respect, and shared celebration—values that have helped the event grow in popularity each year.

While the event is free, reservations are required, and space is limited. Tickets are already available, and demand is expected to be high as attendance last year was reported at about 11,000 people at the Place Masséna for the 10th-anniversary celebration.

Reserve your spot here:
https://my.weezevent.com/lou-queernaval-3

In a time when LGBTQIA+ rights and visibility are still contested in many places, Lou Queernaval stands as a reminder that celebration itself can be a form of resilience. By anchoring the event within Nice’s broader carnival culture—and by receiving official support from the city—it sends a clear message: LGBTQIA+ people are not on the margins of public life, but firmly part of its cultural heart.

On February 27, 2026, Nice won’t just host a carnival. It will host a statement—one made with music, glitter, laughter, and pride.

If you’re planning to be on the French Riviera this winter, Lou Queernaval is not to be missed.

Le Navirotel: A Monument of Riviera Ambition, War, and Architectural Renewal

 

Perched dramatically within the rugged folds of the Estérel mountain range, overlooking the deep blue sweep of the Mediterranean along the storied Corniche d’Or, Le Navirotel was not merely a hotel—it is a testament to the Riviera’s interwar ambition, wartime upheaval, and enduring capacity for reinvention.

The origins of Le Navirotel trace back to 1926, when entrepreneur André Hazebroucq undertook what was, at the time, a staggering architectural gamble: the construction of an immense resort complex carved into one of the most striking and unforgiving landscapes on the Côte d’Azur.

Built at a moment when the French Riviera was emerging as an international symbol of leisure, luxury, and modernity, the project reflected the era’s belief that architecture itself could be an act of spectacle.

The construction would take nearly a decade—an indication not only of the building’s scale, but of the technical challenges involved in anchoring such a structure into the red porphyry cliffs of the Estérel. 

When Le Navirotel was finally inaugurated in 1936, it stood as a bold expression of prewar Riviera optimism: expansive terraces oriented toward the sea, sweeping horizontal lines echoing the coastline, and a commanding presence that blended monumental ambition with the emerging modernist sensibilities of the interwar period.

From the outset, the hotel attracted immediate attention and astonishing popularity, quickly establishing itself as a destination in its own right rather than a mere stop along the coastal road.

That prosperity, however, would prove fragile. On August 20, 1939, as Europe edged toward catastrophe, the momentum of Le Navirotel came to an abrupt halt. The outbreak of war transformed the Riviera from playground to strategic zone, and the hotel’s role shifted accordingly.

By 1944, Le Navirotel had been requisitioned and converted into a military hospital, its grand halls and sunlit rooms repurposed for care rather than leisure. Wounded American soldiers from the U.S. 83rd Infantry Division—many of whom had participated in the Normandy landings—were treated within its walls, embedding the building with a layer of wartime history that stands in stark contrast to its glamorous origins.

With the war’s end, Le Navirotel entered yet another chapter. In 1948, the hotel reopened, symbolizing both continuity and recovery during a period when Europe sought to rebuild not just its cities, but its cultural and social life. 

For decades thereafter, the building remained a quiet witness to the changing rhythms of the Riviera, its architecture bearing the marks of time, adaptation, and survival.

The most recent chapter in the Navirotel’s story began in September 2023, when an ambitious restoration project was launched under the direction of architect Pasqualini. Over the course of 20 months of colossal work—completed in July 2025—the building was meticulously restored to its former grandeur.

Rather than erasing history, the renovation sought to recover it: reasserting the original architectural intent, respecting the building’s monumental proportions, and reestablishing its dialogue with the surrounding landscape of sea and stone.

 

Today, Le Navirotel stands renewed, not as a replica of the past but as a palimpsest—its walls holding the traces of Riviera glamour, wartime necessity, postwar resilience, and contemporary architectural care.

In an era when so many historic coastal landmarks have been diluted or erased, the renaissance of Le Navirotel serves as a rare reminder that preservation, when done with ambition and respect, can restore more than a building—it can restore memory itself.

Menton: Eden Cinema Reinvents Itself for a Cultural 2026

 

Despite a change in management at the beginning of 2025, Menton’s only cinema, L’Eden, has not missed a beat. Quite the opposite: the three-screen venue continues to broaden its horizons, offering an increasingly eclectic program designed to reflect the tastes and curiosity of its diverse local audience. And if 2025 was a year of adjustment, the outlook for 2026 is shaping up to be distinctly optimistic.

“We ended the year on a strong note with Avatar 3 and The Housekeeper, which were the pleasant surprises of the Christmas holidays,” explains Jean-Marie Charvet, owner of the cinema. He does, however, acknowledge a broader national trend: “Attendance was down about 20% over the year—63,000 admissions in 2025 compared to 80,000 in 2024—which is the case for most cinemas across France.”

Charvet is clear-eyed about the reasons. “Alongside commercial releases, we were missing at least two major crowd-pullers like Un p’tit truc en plus or Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, which came out in 2024. To make a year really work, you need those anchor films.” For a local cinema, the response is adaptation—and renewal.

A Cultural Kick-Off to 2026

The year begins on a decidedly cultural note. From February onward, L’Eden will host a series of events blending cinema, music, and intellectual discovery.

The highlight for film lovers is a film-concert dedicated to Georges Brassens, scheduled for Sunday, February 8 at 6:30 p.m. The evening opens with a live performance by Nicolas Paugam, whose show “Nicolas Paugam tropicalizes Brassens” reimagines the songs of the legendary singer-songwriter, who died in 1981.

In the second half, director Sandrine Dumarais will present a screening of her film The Gaze of Georges Brassens. Built largely from intimate and moving personal testimonies, the film reveals a lesser-known side of Brassens. Long before fame, he had taken up a camera, filming moments of his life—sometimes in color, sometimes in black and white—and, above all, the people he loved. The result is a rare, human portrait of an iconic artist. (€15 for the full evening.)

Another early highlight comes just days later: the first conference of 2026, on Thursday, February 12 at 3 p.m., devoted to art history. Led by Françoise Tayar, professor of art history and art photographer, the lecture will offer an in-depth reading of a series of paintings, accompanied by projected works.

Reviving the Spirit of Art-House Cinema

Beyond individual events, L’Eden has a larger ambition: to reclaim its place as a true Art et Essai cinema. “As we did years ago, we want to revive the ciné-club spirit and work toward obtaining the Art and Experimental Cinema classification,” Charvet explains. His other cinemas in Fréjus (Le Lido) and Saint-Raphaël (Le Vox) already hold this label.

The classification is demanding. It requires cinemas to screen so-called “unique” films—works of undeniable artistic quality that have yet to find the audience they deserve. In return, the label brings recognition and access to subsidies from the Ministry of Culture. “We’ll be working with the Var-based association Artem 83 to develop the artistic and cultural side of the Eden in Menton,” Charvet adds.

A Local Cinema, First and Foremost

Plans for 2026 also include live theater performances for young audiences starting with the February school holidays, as well as one-man shows for adults. Under the direction of Nathalie Poulet, the Menton cinema will roll out these initiatives during the first quarter of the year, while continuing regular collaborations with local partners such as Amnesty International, Sciences Po, and other community organizations.

While the broader film industry looks promising for 2026, Charvet remains firmly focused on what makes L’Eden unique. Big-budget films may draw crowds to multiplexes elsewhere on the Riviera, but Menton’s cinema thrives on proximity, loyalty, and cultural curiosity—especially among its subscribers.

Discussions about the cinema’s future have already taken place at Menton’s town hall, though past projects were shelved as “too expensive” or “too complicated.” Perhaps, in keeping with the spirit of the City of Lemons, a more human-scale vision of cinema is exactly what works best.

One thing is certain: as municipal elections approach next March, the future of L’Eden—and culture in Menton more broadly—deserves a central place in the conversation.