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This year's event runs from July 6-17 and, with
France's coronavirus curfew lifted last week, visitors should -
albeit under strict social distancing and infection control
norms - be able to mingle round the clock.
"(We are expecting) a real rebirth," said Anny Courtade from the
busy terrace of her beachfront restaurant, Plage du Festival.
"Last year, we had a season without a festival, so for us it is
truly a bright spell for the economy, and for the city."
Sean Penn and Wes Anderson are among the Hollywood heavy hitters
vying for the festival's Palme d'Or but, with some international
travel restrictions still in place, a greater than usual
proportion of visitors are expected to be French rather than
high-spending foreigners.
"Before, 50% of our clients were international, and 50% local,"
Lucile Falgeiers told Reuters in the chic lobby of the Croisette
Beach Cannes MGallery Hotel, where she is managing director.
"We are of course missing the Americans, the British, the
Italians, who were here during (previous) festivals."Courtade
takes the "glass-half-full" view - "there will not be a single
thing to worry about on the (health and safety) issue" - though
the dearth of guests from abroad rankles."There are still a lot
of (foreign) tourists missing...," she said. "We will welcome
them with open arms, because without them, the Cote d'Azur is
not the Cote d'Azur."
(reporting by Michaela Cabrera and Eric Gaillard; editing by
John Stonestreet)
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