2023-07-17 06:23:03
From the island of Bréhat to Marseille, via Port-Cros or Saint-Malo, many French tourist destinations face, in summer, the saturation of their territory by an increasing number of visitors. In recent years, the phenomenon has become such that it has given rise to the neologism “overtourism”designating the hyperconcentration of tourist flows.
In France, the world’s leading destination, the situation is increasingly problematic: among the 90 million visitors, 80% visit only 20% of the territory. “Our country can be compared to a “donut” [beignet en forme d’anneau, NDLR]explains to The cross Olivia Grégoire, minister in charge of tourism. The most frequented places are on the outskirts: coasts and mountain areas. »
The popularity of natural sites
The Covid has given a boost. “There was in particular the wish to avoid cities and to favor natural spaces. Hence an explosion in their attendance, as in the Great Sites of France, underlines Soline Archambault, director of the network in charge of their management and protection. This overcrowding is now accompanied by a weariness on the part of the local populations. In addition to the inconveniences caused by the arrival of tourists, local life suffers all year round from this popularity: soaring real estate prices, services, establishments open only in summer… This is enough to create a feeling of dispossession, often accompanied by environmental risks for the nature of these unique sites.
A government plan to distribute flows
To fight against this phenomenon, the government announced the implementation of a plan on June 18th. Committed to preserving the economic benefits of the sector – 8% of GDP in 2018 –, it relies on a better distribution of flows, “tourism of the four seasons”, in the words of the minister. It proposes the creation of alternative routes in the territories concerned, in order to attract tourists to other destinations.
Many local actors did not wait for the State: expensive parking in the city center, distance from car parks on the outskirts of sites, creation of paths that preserve nature… « AT this adds up to a lot of awareness-raising worksays the director. We need to better inform explain to visitors that if you go to the Camargue or the Vézère valley, you are not only visiting places with a cave or pink flamingos, but also inhabited sites. »
Social networks, cause and solution
The sinews of war therefore lies in communication. Especially when, today, the popularity of a place is determined on social networks rather than in travel guides. “Certain sites, Natura 2000 areas such as the Hérault gorges in particular, which were already popular, now see hordes of tourists arriving because of the thousands of photos posted on Instagram”continues Soline Archambault.
“A big part of the solution lies on these networkscompletes Cosmo Danchin-Hamard, of the Étretat association tomorrow, which fights for the preservation of the Norman site. This is where we can inform tourists about how to behave, but also encourage them to travel out of season and plan their trips. » The government plan even relies on a partnership with influencers, both to raise their awareness of these issues and to promote advertising for lesser-known places.
Constrain to contain
But for some destinations, it is difficult to wait for the effects of these long-term strategies. As in Bréhat, the national parks of Port-Cros and Calanques de Marseille have decided to limit access to their site to stem the flow. “When the going gets tough, reducing access is sometimes the only viable solutionrecognizes Soline Archambault. But it is precisely this last resort, regulation by booking or, worse, by money, that we are trying to avoid. »
The measure is not, moreover, applicable to all territories, in particular villages crossed by a secondary road. Finally, new practices such as “demarketing” or “counter-advertising” consist of discouraging visitors from coming by displaying photos of overcrowding or, on the contrary, abandoning any communication from the site…
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Two-thirds of French people favor the sea or the countryside
According to an OpinionWay surveypublished in April 2023, the French destinations most popular with the French this summer are Brittany, Normandy, Pays de la Loire and the Center region. Two-thirds want to go to the seaside or the countryside.
A symbol of French overtourism, the Étretat site welcomes 1.5 million tourists every year, for a village of 1,200 inhabitants.
In 2023, he joined the Fodor’s No List, a selection established by an editor of American guides indicating the places not to be visited.
Used for example in Bréhat, an article of the Environmental Code allows, since 2020, certain territories deemed “exceptional” to limit access to their site in the name of the preservation of biodiversity, the environment and the tranquility of the inhabitants.
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