America's Cup 2007 Marseilles, France Venue Guide

	Marseille, France Marseille is short-listed in the final four candidates to host the 2007 Challenger Selection Series and America's Cup races. With the scenery of its beautiful bay surrounded by mountains, this French Mediterranean city rivals any other candidate and is a serious contender for the America's Cup venue.
	(Left, Drama on the Med. Right, Aerial view of proposed Cup Village location. Both photos © Gilles Martin-Raget)

Following intense discussions between ACM and Marseilles representatives, plans were modified to locate the team bases and the America's Cup village right in the city center of Marseille. The former dock area would host all AC infrastructure only 200m away from the famous "Vieux Port" (the Old Port city marina), and within walking distance of the TGV (high-speed train) railway station. Racing could take place either north or south of the neighboring Frioul Islands, only about 10 minutes towing time away from the proposed team base locations.

Benefiting from its central location, Marseille has superior transportation infrastructure and accessibility. Marseille is a very active port city, handling 94 Million tons of cargo annually, ranking as the largest Mediterranean port and 3rd in Europe.

Visions of things to come as racing yachts sail into Marseille's old port. Photo © Gilles Martin-Raget
	Strengths:
	AC village location:	walking distance from old city centre, would encourage maximum attendance
	Race Course:	the location of the racing zones and the splendor of its bay would convert Marseille into a "sailing stadium", an arrangement praised by Ernesto Bertarelli himself, allowing spectators to closely watch races from ashore
	Team Infrastructure:	ample available land in the "J4" docks at the entrance of the Vieux Port for bases and Cup village
	Support Infrastructure:	major city with schools, lodging, services for teams and families
	Transportation:	Conditions are optimum, with international airport linked to major European cities and high speed rail

General Information:
Population:		1 Million (Marseille) 60 Million (France)
Official Language:		French

Currency: Euro		Cost comparison: mineral water (1 liter): €0.8 beer ( 1 bottle): €1 36-exposure color film: €5 Three-course meal with wine/beer: €15-25
Business Competitive Index:		France Rank: 10th (about the BCI)
Productivity:		GDP per capita, France Rank: 14th

Travel Information:
Main Airport:		Aeroport de Marseille-Provence (Marseilles Airport), code: MRS Direct Flights from major European cities : Operating airlines
Rail Service:		Connection to Italy, Switzerland, Spain and High speed train (TGV) to Paris (3 hours/790 km)

Time Zone:		GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 between Apr-Oct)
Electricity:		220v 50 hz

Additional Links:

Official Marseille America's Cup Venue Site (offline)

More Marseille Photos from photographer Gilles Martin-Raget
Photographs on this page courtesy of Gilles Martin-Raget, used with permission.

Navy Port Guide - Marseille

Photo Credit: Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), June 2002.
The Spot 5 satellite can provide pictures with a 2.5 m resolution and is now operated by French company Spot Image


	Business Competitive Index is a measure of strength and opportunity in the business environment. The BCI is compiled by the World Economic Forum* as part of their Global Competitiveness Survey. A simple explanation would mention that it is related to a country's GDP per capita, but, as might be expected where economists are at work, the analysis is much more complicated than simply that one ratio. See their website for more information.