VDM Soetopo, Y: Rendez-Vous Côte d'Azur

Perched on a cliff above the Mediterranean, the Principality of Monaco has been a centre of upmarket tourism and top-level events renowned for their lavishness and extravagance ever since the founding of Monte Carlo in 1866. The opening of the city's first congress centre a century later and the more recent construction of the high-tech Grimaldi Forum are highly visible signs of the emergence of a new and important economic sector in the field of meetings and conventions. These developments helped to encourage the extension and improvement of infrastructure and tourist services and opened new perspectives. The aim of this essay is to consider all the aspects that contributed to this re- orientation. The role of key players in this industry will also be examined. This book provides general information on Monaco as a tourist destination but also reveals how the Principality was able to position itself favourably among other hot spots on the French Rivera by shifting its image from a destination for upper-class tourism to a high- class centre for business.