The Secret Economy of the French Riviera

 

There is a version of the French Riviera that is very easy to see.

It is the version of superyachts sitting in the ports, luxury villas behind gates, Michelin-starred restaurants, designer boutiques, five-star hotels, glamorous beach clubs and sports cars winding their way along the coast. It is the Riviera that appears on Instagram, in travel magazines and in promotional campaigns selling the dream of the Côte d’Azur to the rest of the world.

But after living here long enough, you begin to notice another Riviera, one that is considerably less glamorous but arguably just as interesting.

It is the Riviera of people getting on the bus at 7:30 in the morning, the person carrying a laptop onto the train, the chef heading into a restaurant before lunch service, the cleaner arriving at an apartment building with a bag of cleaning supplies, the lawyer rushing toward an appointment, the hotel employee finishing a night shift, the student with a backpack, the gardener loading equipment into a van, the entrepreneur working from a café and the yacht crew member heading toward a marina.

This is the Riviera that tourists often don’t see (or do), yet it is enormous and it is what keeps the region functioning day after day.

Living on the Côte d’Azur, if you’re an observant people watcher like I am, public transportation or just going for a walk becomes a rather interesting place. Whenever I’m on a bus or train and have some time on my own, I will sometimes try to guess what type of work someone might do. Obviously, this is hardly scientific and I’m probably wrong plenty of the time, but the time of day, the direction someone is travelling, what they are carrying and even the neighbourhood they are heading toward can sometimes provide clues.

Visitors, on the other hand, are often surprisingly easy to pick out. They may be dressed specifically for whatever they have planned that day, watching the scenery go by with that unmistakable expression of someone taking everything in, while simultaneously checking Google Maps and then checking it again to make absolutely certain they haven’t missed their stop. The locals are generally doing something quite different. They’re travelling because they have somewhere they need to be.

That simple distinction says a great deal about life on the French Riviera. There is a tendency, particularly on social media, to talk about the Côte d’Azur as though everyone living here must either be extraordinarily wealthy or have somehow discovered a secret bank account. Someone will inevitably post about how expensive the Riviera is, followed by the inevitable question: “How does anyone actually afford to live there?”

The answer is considerably less glamorous than people might imagine. They work. Just like people do where they probably come from. They work in restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, offices, shops, construction, transportation, technology, finance, real estate, law, tourism, government, healthcare, education, entertainment, yachting and countless other occupations.

They are employees, freelancers, entrepreneurs, business owners, tradespeople, professionals, students and people working remotely. In other words, they are much like the people living almost anywhere else. The difference is that they happen to be doing it beside the Mediterranean.

There Is Far More Than Tourism

Tourism is obviously a huge part of the regional economy, but reducing the Riviera to tourism misses an enormous part of what actually happens here. The Côte d’Azur has developed into a remarkably diverse economic region, with industries ranging from technology and research to finance, healthcare, education, manufacturing, real estate, professional services, aviation, maritime industries and international business.

Take Sophia Antipolis, for example. It is one of the clearest reminders that the Côte d’Azur isn’t simply a place where people come to sit on beaches. The technology and science park has become an important international business and research centre, employing tens of thousands of people across technology, telecommunications, research, engineering, consulting and other industries. There are software developers, engineers, scientists, researchers, project managers, accountants, lawyers, marketing professionals and executives working there alongside countless support businesses. Even Monaco has its own small tech sector.

There are also people running small businesses from home, people working from cafés and entrepreneurs who arrived specifically because they saw an opportunity to build something here. Some have moved from Paris or another part of France, while others have arrived from London, Milan, Geneva, Brussels, North America or elsewhere in Europe. Some may have a global business while others are serving a very local clientele.

This is one of the reasons the Riviera can be deceptive. You can walk past a luxury hotel and assume that tourism is the entire story, yet a few kilometres away you can find technology companies, research facilities, schools, medical centres, industrial businesses and professional offices. The region is far more economically diverse than the postcard suggests. It just doesn’t necessary shout out what is may be.

The Invisible Economy Behind the Luxury

This is where the story becomes particularly interesting. The Riviera has developed an enormous ecosystem of businesses and professionals whose work is often barely noticed by the people benefiting from it.

Consider what happens when someone rents or owns a luxury villa. A guest may arrive, walk through the front door and see an immaculate property with a perfectly prepared kitchen, beautifully maintained garden, sparkling pool and everything apparently in its place. What they don’t necessarily see is the network of people responsible for making that happen.

There may be a property manager coordinating the operation, a concierge arranging the arrival, cleaners preparing the bedrooms, a gardener maintaining the grounds, a pool technician taking care of the equipment, an electrician or plumber dealing with an unexpected problem, a chef preparing dinner, a chauffeur collecting guests from the airport and a personal assistant arranging restaurants, activities, transportation and reservations. There may also be security personnel, maintenance contractors, laundry services, florists, caterers and dozens of other specialists involved at different points.

The same principle applies to the yacht industry. A superyacht sitting in Port Hercules or Port Vauban may appear to be completely self-contained, but behind that yacht is a vast network of people and businesses. There are captains, engineers, deckhands, stewards, chefs, yacht managers, brokers, shipyard workers, mechanics, electricians, provisioning companies, laundry services, accountants, lawyers, insurance professionals, recruitment agencies and countless others who contribute to keeping the industry running.

The owner of the yacht may live thousands of kilometres away, but maintaining, managing and operating that yacht creates economic activity on the Riviera. The same is true of luxury properties. The person who owns the villa may spend only a few weeks here each year, but the property still requires year-round attention.

This is what I mean by the Riviera’s invisible economy. It isn’t invisible because anyone is deliberately trying to hide it. It is invisible because visitors simply don’t think about the people behind the services they receive.

Who Actually Makes the Riviera Work?

The answer is a remarkably long list. Villa managers, rental managers, domestic staff, housekeepers, gardeners, pool technicians, maintenance companies, chauffeurs, security personnel, personal assistants and concierge businesses all form part of this ecosystem. So do yacht crew, yacht brokers, marina employees, shipyard workers, mechanics and maritime specialists.

Then there are the lawyers, notaries, accountants, insurance professionals, architects, interior designers, builders, electricians, plumbers, IT specialists, photographers, event planners, wedding planners, private trainers, beauty professionals, pet-care businesses and food suppliers who support the wider economy.

What makes this particularly interesting is that these businesses aren’t necessarily serving wealthy people exclusively. The electrician who spends the morning fixing lighting in an expensive villa might spend the afternoon repairing an apartment in Nice. The plumber dealing with a problem at a luxury property may be fixing a leak in an ordinary family home the following day. A restaurant chef might prepare dinner for a wealthy international clientele but return home to a perfectly ordinary apartment and live a life that has little resemblance to the people sitting at the tables.

The Riviera’s economy therefore shouldn’t be viewed simply as an economy that exists to serve wealthy people. It is an interconnected economy in which luxury spending is one component, but where the people employed by that economy also spend their money in supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, shops, schools, transport systems and local businesses. Their income becomes part of the wider regional economy.

The Everyday Working Riviera

Perhaps the biggest misconception about living here is that everyone you see enjoying the Riviera is wealthy enough to own a piece of it. That simply isn’t the case.

Someone can live in a relatively modest apartment in Nice and work for an international company in Sophia Antipolis. Someone can rent an apartment in Beaulieu-sur-Mer and work in Monaco. Someone else might live farther inland because housing is more affordable and commute toward the coast every morning. A successful entrepreneur might rent rather than own property. A young professional might share an apartment with friends. A family might have lived in the region for generations.

There are doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, engineers, accountants, retail workers, restaurant employees, mechanics, construction workers, artists, designers, administrative staff, civil servants, researchers, salespeople and business owners. There are people who work for large multinational corporations and others who operate businesses with only one or two employees.

And then there are the people whose jobs are particularly tied to the seasonal nature of the Riviera.

The Seasonal Riviera

The Côte d’Azur attracts a significant number of people who don’t necessarily live here all year. The summer season brings additional workers into hospitality, tourism, yachting, events and luxury services. A yacht crew member may spend the summer season on the Riviera before moving elsewhere in the Mediterranean. A hospitality professional may come for several months and then return home. A sales executive for a major luxury brand may relocate temporarily during an important period of the year. An events specialist may arrive for a particular international event, while a photographer, production company or wedding planner may spend several weeks here working on a specific project.

The same thing happens around Monaco and the major international events that take place throughout the region. Someone may have their permanent home somewhere else in Europe but spend considerable portions of the year on the Côte d’Azur because their company, clients or industry requires them to be here.

The Riviera’s economy is therefore considerably more fluid than simply looking at the number of permanent residents would suggest. People arrive for projects, seasons, contracts, conferences, events and business opportunities, and many return year after year.

The Entrepreneurs Who Come Here to Build Something

One of the most fascinating groups I find to observe is the entrepreneurs. The Côte d’Azur attracts people who have deliberately decided that they want to build something here, and their backgrounds can be remarkably diverse.

Some have moved from Paris or other major French cities. Others have arrived from Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the United States, Canada and elsewhere. Some are launching technology companies, while others are opening restaurants, creating tourism businesses, establishing consulting firms, working in property, developing lifestyle brands or building businesses connected to yachting and the maritime sector.

But there is an important reality that can easily get lost in the glamour of the region: living somewhere beautiful does not make building a successful business easy.

In fact, operating in a competitive international environment can be incredibly demanding. The people who succeed often develop strong professional networks and understand the importance of reputation, reliability and relationships. A property consultant knows an architect. The architect knows a builder. The builder knows an electrician. The electrician knows a property manager. The property manager knows a concierge company. The concierge knows a chauffeur. The chauffeur knows a restaurant owner. The restaurant owner knows a yacht captain.

That network is part of the Riviera economy too.

A Region That Attracts International Talent

Another interesting characteristic of the Côte d’Azur is how many people arrive here because their company or profession is international. The region’s proximity to Monaco, Italy and other major European business centres makes cross-border work relatively common, while Nice Côte d’Azur Airport provides connections that allow people to live here while maintaining professional relationships elsewhere.

Someone might live in France but work in Monaco. Another person might have an employer based in London but work from the Riviera for part of the year. A business executive might divide their time between Nice, Paris and Milan. Someone working in international finance might regularly travel to Geneva or London. A technology professional could be employed by a multinational company with colleagues scattered across several countries.

The result is a workforce that is often considerably more international than outsiders might expect.

And Then There Are the Students

There is another group that rarely gets included in discussions about who lives on the French Riviera: students.

Universities and higher-education institutions in Nice, Sophia Antipolis and the surrounding region attract students from other parts of France as well as international students. Some come for an exchange semester, some for a year and others for an entire degree programme. Internships also bring young people into the region for periods ranging from a few weeks to several months.

For many, spending a year studying on the Riviera is about much more than obtaining a qualification. It can be an opportunity to experience another culture, improve language skills, live independently, meet people from different countries and develop an international professional network before entering the workforce.

Some students arrive thinking they will stay for a year and discover that they don’t want to leave. Others return home with an international experience that influences the rest of their careers. Either way, they become part of the temporary but constantly changing population that gives the Riviera much of its international character.

Look Around the Next Time You’re on the Train

There is something almost poetic about travelling by train along the coast.

On one side you may see the Mediterranean, yachts and spectacular villas. On the other side are apartment buildings, commercial areas, construction sites, schools and ordinary neighbourhoods. Inside the train are hundreds of completely different lives, all temporarily occupying the same carriage.

Someone may be heading to work at a five-star hotel. Another person may be going to a technology company. Someone may be travelling to a construction site, while another is heading to university. One person may be going to clean an apartment, another to meet a client about buying property and someone else may be travelling to the airport to collect a client. Someone may be returning from a night shift, while another is on their way to open a restaurant.

And, of course, there is always someone who looks as though they have absolutely no idea where they’re going. Which is also perfectly fine. Dreamers also help make up the Riviera.

They also may simply be tourists on the train, which is always a welcome sight.

The Riviera Behind the Riviera

The French Riviera is often presented as a place where the wealthy come to spend money, and there is certainly truth to that to an extent. Luxury tourism, international property, yachting, hospitality and high-end services are important parts of the regional economy. But stopping the story there misses what makes the Côte d’Azur a real place rather than simply a luxury destination.

The Riviera is also a place where people build careers, start companies, raise families, study, commute, retire, create businesses and pursue opportunities. It is a place where people from completely different economic backgrounds live alongside one another, sometimes in very different circumstances but within the same relatively small geographical area.

The person sitting beside you on the bus may work in finance. The person standing next to them may be a cleaner. Someone across the aisle may be an engineer. The student beside them may have arrived from another country for a year of university. The person getting off at the next stop may be heading to a restaurant kitchen, a construction site, a law office or a yacht.

And that is perhaps the real secret economy of the French Riviera.

It isn’t just about the people who can afford the villas, yachts and luxury hotels. It is about the thousands of people whose work keeps those industries operating, alongside the thousands more whose jobs have nothing whatsoever to do with luxury.

The Côte d’Azur isn’t one economy. It is dozens of economies layered on top of one another, from technology and research to hospitality, construction, healthcare, education, retail, finance, professional services, transportation, yachting, tourism and small business.

The luxury economy may be the most visible layer, but it is only one part of the story.

The next time you’re sitting on a bus or train or walking down the street on the French Riviera, look around. The people sitting around you are not simply background characters in someone else’s luxury holiday.

They are the people who live here, work here, study here, build businesses here, raise families here and, in countless different ways, make the Riviera what it actually is.