The Whims of Life

Nothing predestined Nicolle Martin for this unique path. Passionate about literature, she began studying linguistics, dreaming of far-off places, imagining herself as a flight attendant. She passed the Air France exam, much to her father’s dismay, who strongly opposed this vocation. Through his connections, he found her a student job at the Nice tourist office. It was a disappointment for Nicolle, but now she’s grateful: “As a flight attendant, I wouldn’t have had the same career.” Installed in drab offices near the train station, Nicolle passed the time waiting for night train travelers. Along with her colleagues, all students, they decided one day to go on strike to demand a raise. ”We went to see Françoise Giroud, who was on vacation in Saint-Jean-Cap- Ferrat. She welcomed and supported us. We won our fight, and all the employees at tourist offices across France received a raise. It’s an extraordinary memory”. This was Nicolle’s first significant achievement. She got married and became a full-time employee at the tourist office, although without much enthusiasm. That is, until one day in 1975, when a man walked in, introducing himself as her new director, and said to her: ”I’ve heard a lot about you, both good and bad. You don’t leave anyone indifferent, so you interest me. I’m sure you’ll do great things; we’ll team up and create Nice Promotion”. This visionary and charismatic man would change her life, helping her overcome her shyness and setting in motion the international promotion of Nice. Gaston Franco, who was then Chief of Staff for Francis Palmero, had just accepted this significant mission, appointed by the mayor of Nice at the time, Jacques Médecin.

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Miss Carnival

Thus began an incredible adventure for the small team of twelve. Nice Promotion would eventually become today’s metropolitan tourism office, Nice Côte d’Azur. ”We learned everything; we found ways to succeed without funding. We were pioneers in many areas, such as promoting and selling packages that included transport, restaurants, and hotels – an idea that was later adopted by many tourist offices around the world”. Initially responsible for the French market, Nicolle acted as the liaison between Nice’s professionals, tour operators, travel agents, and bus companies. She recalls with humor her first marketing trip, navigating with a road map, without a phone or GPS, searching for bus companies in Northern France – ”a different time!” After landing on a farm, surrounded by buses and chickens, she eventually convinced a bus operator to organize trips to Nice for the Carnival. The same happened with the local Air Inter agent, who was initially reluctant to reserve seats for groups. ”I never gave up; after three years, what was just a trial became an annual event, and by the fourth year, the plane for the Carnival was fully booked”. Over the years, the woman who became known as ”Miss Carnival” expanded her reach, becoming responsible for Switzerland, then Belgium, England, Canada, the Middle East, Greece, Turkey, and North Africa. Dedicated to her work, Nicolle traveled extensively: ”What a joy to live my passion for tourism. At the time, I was traveling two to three times a month, and I still have friends worldwide through Skål”. She was so invested in her work that she didn’t notice the storm brewing…

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Shadow and Light

When her husband asked her to choose between her career and their marriage, Nicolle was in shock. ”We adored each other. I’ve always had a certain recklessness; I charge ahead without seeing the danger, like when we were in Chad, and a herd of elephants was about to attack our group. I was still trying to save our water bottles to make sure everyone had enough to drink... A participant’s gunshot saved us”. The divorce was painful and destabilizing for both Nicolle and her eleven-year-old son. The breakup felt like a familiar pattern. Nicolle, an only child of parents who were also only children, grew up under their loving care: ”I never lacked anything, spoiled like a princess, adored until I was twelve”. Her father’s refusal to let her grow up led to a devastating shift in his behavior. Nicolle’s life has always oscillated between stories of adoration and abandonment, something not always easy to bear for someone so sensitive. From childhood, she sensed a disconnect between her family life and the outside world: put on a pedestal at home, she was bullied at school: ”They called me ‘carrot head’”. Nicolle inherited her Venetian blonde, curly hair from her Armenian maternal grandfather, and it became a target for teasing. ”I internalized this feeling that society didn’t like me, and I’ve always sought a form of recognition”. This drive has continually pushed her to set the bar higher and higher...