Cannes voted Best Festival & Event Destination in the world!
Beating 12 other top destinations, Cannes is the first city in France to win this prestigious title at the World Travel Awards 2022.
Cannes, the ‘Ville de Cinema’ is celebrating a massive achievement and worldwide recognition not only for its legendary film festival, but for its all-around amazingness for all its events across a vast range of industries.
Last year, the glamorous seaside town was voted “Europe's best destination for festivals and events” for the second year running. For 2022, Cannes has been voted "Best World Destination" in the same category. Not too shabby!
"This historic double award recognises the work, talent and energy of the people of Cannes who work every day to ensure the success of the events and cultural sector." - Cannes Mayor, David Lisnard
Competing against 12 other international cities including Barcelona, London, Barranquilla, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Singapore, Santiago, Sydney, Cape Town, Da Nang City and Durban, Cannes was picked as the best, making it the first French city to win this award. So, beating out not only its European competition but also the world’s greatest cities is no small feat - and confirms Cannes' essential role as a leading destination for the world's event industry.
Bon Vivant was present at the press conference this past June when the city announced it was in the running for the award. Standing atop the roof of the Palais des Festivals, city officials, festival heads and journalists all helped hold the enormous banner telling the world: VOTE FOR CANNES!
Thrilled with the news of winning, Cannes’ Mayor, David Lisnard, was quick to point out that the award is due to hard work of all the tourism professionals and the diligent investments from the city. He stated:
”I am very pleased and proud that Cannes has been voted "World's Best Festival and Event Destination" at the World Travel Awards. This historic double award recognises the work, talent and energy of the people of Cannes who work every day to ensure the success of the events and cultural sector. This award is also the result of the massive investments made each year by the city to improve the living environment of its inhabitants and the reception of visitors. With its 140 world-famous events hosted and organised at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in 2022 such as the Cannes Festival, the MIPIM or Cannes Lions, Cannes fully participates in the attractiveness of France. This title is thus a real recognition of the French know-how and positions Cannes and France as an essential world destination for festivals and events. Vive Cannes!"
Why Cannes is the best
One of the largest sources of revenue for the city, the festivals, salons, congresses and trade shows not only fill the hotels, but also the restaurants, bars, shops, transportations services, and provide thousands of jobs. The largest festivals can swell the city with tens of thousands of visitors for a solid week or more.
How does this small city handle such an influx of people while still running smoothly and keeping everyone happy? Like Mayor Lisnard said, it is thanks to an immense network of professionals across the tourism, hospitality, event organisation and catering sectors. All of these actors work together, aided by the support of City Hall, to make sure that all visitors, whether tourists or event participants are treated well, equally and with the best service. The Alpes-Maritimes region is filled with some of the world's top talent when it comes to event management, catering, stage and tent construction and numerous 4 and 5-star hotels. This is what makes any event, no matter the size, a truly enjoyable experience for all parties, from the organiser to the attendees.
For more than 75 years, Cannes has been the host of the most famous cultural event, the Cannes Film Festival. That is closely followed by the extravagant Cannes Lions festival of creativity, and followed by many others, MIDEM, MIPCOM, MIPIM, TWFA, ILTM, the Cannes Yachting Festival, and Festivals of Dance, Fireworks, Gaming, Artificial Intelligence, and the rising Canneseries. This diversity of events, plus the sophistication, fabulous weather and proximity to other tourist landmarks makes Cannes a very unique destination.
In 2022, the city experienced a record number of tourists and events and this title is the result of this exceptional year. The natural setting, its human scale, its hospitality infrastructure and its dynamism make the city uniquely attractive.
