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Sustainable Tourism, the ambition of Rhône-Alpes for the new decade

Anne-Marie COMPARINI - Presidente of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council, Lyon, France

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,    

Closing such meetings on such a complex theme is a difficult position to be in and especially for a participant who, unlike many of you, is not an expert.

So, I shall humbly attempt to gather together, without bias, several open questions based on the existing situation.

 

The existing situation, the Rhône-Alpes offer

In a word, Rhône-Alpes, the second largest French region in terms of its area and population, ranks among the largest European regions.

Comparable in area to countries such as Belgium, Switzerland or the Netherlands, it has as many inhabitants as Denmark or Finland.

In terms of receiving tourists at the moment, Rhône-Alpes is in 2nd position nationally with more than 155 million overnight visitors, just behind the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and realises approximately 54 billion French francs from tourism.

To ensure such development of its tourist activities, our region relies on the enhancement of 3 strengths :

• its geography characterised by an extraordinary diversity of natural areas, climates, landscapes and reliefs,
• the richness of a historical and cultural heritage particularly well distributed throughout the entire regional territory,
• and finally, excellent accessibility of its various areas of interest.

Rhône-Alpes, which with 200 resorts, has the largest skiable area in the world and which has hosted 3 Winter Olympics, today also offers many other tourist activities.

To name a few as they come to mind: summer mountain tourism, that associated with relaxation, health and fitness but also green, urban, cultural and gastronomic tourism, not to mention business tourism which represents 20 % of the Rhône-Alpes tourism.

This success, I hasten to emphasise, is the fruit of the dynamism of all those who work to benefit tourism in our region. We support this success :  

• by proposing a tourist offer on the market, structured by product group and grouping together tourism operators aware of this channelling effort,
• by providing specific support to medium altitude and medium size resorts,
• by supporting the development of the associated tourism and the modernisation of seasonal and rural accommodation,
• by offering possibilities for the professionalisation of tourism operators,
• by offering possibilities for the professionalisation of tourism operators,ou encore par la promotion des destinations touristiques en Rhône-Alpes (CRT).
• or event through the promotion of tourist destinations in the Rhône-Alpes (CRT) region.

Nevertheless, we should not content ourselves with the current good results.

In the image of Chamonix, our Region is subjected to a change in demand and ever-increasing international competition with the emergence of new destinations, new trend and new expectations. It must also combine growth in tourism with protection of the environment.

All this considered, it is easy to see the difficulty in building a long lasting development strategy and the interest of meetings such as these in order to progress our thinking and zero in on the demand better. For it is without doubt an economy of demand that we are living in.

And what is this demand ? How does it change ?

It is a matter of economic logic and, like all activities, it supposes :

• a true prospecting effort in order to anticipate customer expectations,
• a true partnership effort in order to develop a shared diagnosis and define a development strategy,
• mobilisation, implication and adaptation of the players in the tourism chain around the principle of quality,
• the development of a fixed network in the territories with a strong tourist identity,
• detailed reflection on new products
  • their range
  • their quality 

it also supposes the professionalisation of participants,

those who research new markets and those offering services (management training, seasonal workers, SMB).

In the 21st century,

• How can new demand linked to cultural and sporting needs be correctly taken into account ?
• Nature itself in its purest form will not suffice. Doesn't the visitor expect a package of services and a range of products? How can these be created as judiciously as possible ?  
• Is the "mountain" product no longer linked to snow? How can the multiple activities be managed best ?  
• Does the leisure economy not imply a wider distribution throughout the year ? And changes in the length of stay ?  
• How can the growing attraction of the Regional Nature Parks be explained ? Is it lasting ? 
• How can personalised products be created in bulk ? 
• How can the sought after authenticity and social atmosphere be achieved in tourist resorts ? 

So many questions to be asked in order to face up to the competition, so many questions for you to ponder over and so many questions which must also be reflected upon for each tourist area, taking into account its own peculiarities and potential.

* * *

One other point I would like to broach with you is that the tourist activity is dependent on other factors and first and foremost, on the environment, the quality of the décor, dare I say.

Here in Rhône-Alpes, we are particularly aware of the quality of our environment and the beauty of our landscapes.

That is why when it comes to protecting the environment, in addition to our active support of the development of renewable energy sources, we demand true consideration of this stake in any development project that we support, and our support is conditioned by this.

This is why, I am anxious to tell you today, I am so attached to the creation of the Lyon-Turin rail connection.

I share all of the commitment held by the inhabitants of this valley to the rapid implementation of a transport policy to significantly reduce road traffic.

Along with Eric Fournier who is the Chairman of GIP Transalpes, a design structure for the transalpine Lyon-Turin rail link, we are working with determination to progress this transalpine link project : a technically and financially ambitious project.

It is however vital for the population and its well-being and for the Savoyard, Rhône-Alpine and French economy.

For years, technical and financial considerations have been undertaken. They were serious and the French authorities now have concrete elements with which to go ahead and clearly confirm their intention to create a tunnel under the Alps in order to create the combined Lyon-Turin link.

Naturally, we are aware that to achieve this objective, there will be transitory phases but it is time to state the final objective. The desired and awaited objective which alone can mobilise the participants and give them hope.

Any other suggestions of alternatives (rolling road) or additional studies aiming at deferring the decision, greatly risk of pushing the Lyon-Turin link to the sidelines.

That is why this ambitious task can be accepted and the Elect wish to believe that the French authorities will respond to this appeal.