And if the Auvergne, Rhone-Alps, was the destination of the rising of this the summer season French-French ? “According to a survey of our community of loyal customers, the region of Auvergne, the Rhone-Alpes region is the first destination where they intend to make this summer, with 29% of the vote”, says Karim Soleilhavoup, director general of the group, Logis Hotels, networks of independent hoteliers which brings together 2 150 establishments in France, of which 124 institutions in the region (1 hotel ranked on 3).
read also : Auvergne : four hikes unknown in the chaîne des Puys
“The region of Auvergne, the Rhone-Alps is the destination of slow travel by excellence, with a cultural offer bloated and a wide range of activities in the open air”, boasts Élise Mathieu, director of the tourist Office of the Country of Aubenas-Vals-Antraïgues (Ardèche). “The wide open spaces and low population density also create a social distancing by nature. This may reassure the French who would like to come in one of the 12 departments in our broader region.”
“We were confined, we all want to breathe fresh air and get moving after those long weeks of inaction” abounds Karim Soleilhavoup. “The Auvergne region in particular, is conducive to vacation active and contemplative at once, with a variety of landscapes (mountains, plateaus, ponds, rivers) and a nice quality-price ratio”.
read also : Quiz: how well do you know the volcanoes of the Auvergne?Enhanced communication
according To a study conducted in June by the Companies in the Travel and PVA, 35% of the French are planning to go to the countryside or the mountains this summer. In order to surf this wave and to attract a maximum of tourists, the region has launched a comprehensive communications plan. A budget of 4.4 million euros accompanied by a slogan, “Revive here”, to encourage future vacationers to choose as the destination “a region where we breathe”. The menu in particular, TV spots aired from 10 to 28 June.
read also : Our most beautiful guest rooms by 2020, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Of special sections will also be promptly published in the daily regional press, and then disseminated on the Internet sites and local radio stations. Attention is given to the inhabitants of the region, which represent, in normal times, 27% of the clientele but already almost half of bookings for this summer. The department of the Cantal (Auvergne region) has also launched a poster campaign in Lyon and Montpellier in order to awaken new desires.
read also : summer Holidays: 20 experience to (re)discover the mountain françaiseDans the Cantal, summer bookings were up 22% compared to the previous year. Laurent Renault/Adobe StockDes reservations at the beautiful fixed
For Logis Hotels, the Covid-19 is only an accelerator of trends that already exist. “About the year 2019, the region-Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes was growth of 13.2%, which is double the average growth of the group in France”, points the director-general. It appears this year at the fifth position of the bookings for stays in July-August, with small nuances according to the department. “The Region really has the odds, it is about a 22% increase”, he adds.
Nothing very surprising, after him, to the extent that the offer proposed by the platform would be in perfect adequacy with the research of leisure travelers. “We are representatives of a traditional hotel, family homes and rural were somewhat gone out of fashion at a time. But today, the tourists are reassured to be greeted by the owners of small house who value the heritage and the local dimension, where the health measures are implemented, and where they are kept at a distance from the crowds,” insists Karim Soleilhavoup.
If we look at the sales of specialized books, the trend is the same. The Guide du Routard Auvergne, dedicated to the department, is part of the top 14 of the best sales in ray tourism according to Livres Hebdo and behind even the invincible summer that are the Brittany, the Côte d’azur and Corsica.
read also : How to make sure that his hotel complies with the health measures ?
The desire of rurality and authenticity is also confirmed from the side of the rental sites between individuals. For the platform Airbnb, the Ardèche, one of the twelve departments of the region, is one of the top 5 destinations that have experienced the highest growth in terms of bookings (+190%), over the period of 25 may to 7 June. Nearly 1,500 homes will be so busy in July-August, with a desire in particular for the accommodation of the ordinary.
The more “wishlisté” site is nothing more than a shack at the water’s edge, in the peaceful valley of the Beaume. Self-built with local and natural materials on the ground of an old farm Ardèche, it is part of a project of agro tourism global advocates for freedom and harmony with nature.
read also : From France: the madness of the villages !
“If in the collective imagination, the Auvergne returns an image a little rustic, it should not be forgotten that it is also an ideal holiday destination for a clientele that is hedonistic, greedy of good food, and spas where relax”, says Karim Soleilhavoup.
Thanks to significant investments undertaken by hotel owners in recent years and a central position, the region would attract a typology of visitors is very wide, from families to couples going through a business clientele demanding. For this summer, the director general of Logis Hotels observed a significant increase of the average basket : 162 euros last year, to 197 euros in 2020. “This allows us to assume that the French will rather opt for several short breaks and they want to have fun in beautiful places.”
read also : Puy Mary, High Thatched Forges… these places where you ressourcerUne development of the heritage
For a first visit in the Cantal, Karim Soleilhavoup always recommend the same site for its loyal customers : the inn of The Mountains, in Pailherols. “This is the place for fetish Christian Prudhomme, he likes to get a rest after the Tour de France. There is a swimming pool and you can eat wonderfully well,” he says.
First French department in terms of number of protected designation of origin (cheeses (Cantal, Salers, Saint-Nectaire, Bleu d’auvergne, Fourme d’ambert…), the territory boasts a rich gastronomic heritage. “We have michelin starred restaurants run by famous chefs like Serge Vieira, Sébastien Bras or Régis Marcon”, boasts Sylvie Favat.
read also : The micro-adventure, another way to travel in France
To experience the more rural, the responsible of the press relations of the department Cantal advises to the visitors the discovery of the burons, these small mountain huts where lived once the cowherds and their flocks, and where they made the Salers cheese. Located between 1 200 and 1 700 metres of altitude, there are still 5 active, such as the Cabin of Algour, where it is still possible to buy his cheese. Side nature, the heart of Sylvie Favat balance between the massif Cantalien, “where one might sometimes feel in Costa Rica”, and the Cézallier for an atmosphere “Mongolian steppes”. “A judgment is also indispensable to the gorges of the Truyère, crossed by a metal bridge in red that we must Gustave Eiffel. It was her first test before the tour paris”, complete-t-it.
read also : summer Holidays: 15 experiences to (re)discover the French countryside
For Élise Mathieu, director of the tourist Office of the Country of Aubenas-Vals-Antraïgues (Ardèche), a visit to the region would not be complete without a trip on the ardèche plateau, the discovery of a cave (Aven d’orgnac, or Chauvet 2) and a stroll to the market of Aubenas, to take the pulse of the local atmosphere and chat with the local producers.
His favourite : the village of Antraïgues-sur-Volane, one of the three sites classified Village of character in the department of Ardèche. “It is a very small town located on a rocky outcrop, volcanic, with a life of intense and very focused on the arts,” details-t-it. It is here that the singer, Jean Ferrat has composed some of his most beautiful songs and said to France, “that the mountain is beautiful”.
The editorial team conseilleSpécial breakfast 2020: our 150 favorite places to déconfinerTour of France at the edge of the most beautiful tourist trains of our régionsAlpes from the South: take three rides to get close to the peaks of wild MercantourSujetsAuvergne-Rhône-AlpesFrancevoyagesvacances summer 2020TourismeAucun comment
there are currently no comments on this article.
Be the first to give your opinion !
I write a comment
