|
|
Back to the list of speakers
Back to the programme
How will the Rhône-Alpes region address the issue of tourist transport?
Sylvie GILLET DE THOREY - Mayor of Meythet, Vice-President of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council assigned to the Tourism and mountains Commission (France)
Mr. Mayor, Michel Charlet, dear Michel,
Mr. Vice President of the Haute-Savoie General Council, Denis Bouchet, and Mr. Vice President of the Rhône-Alps Regional Council, Eric Fournier,
Madame President of the Tourism Summits, Françoise Devouassoux,
Mr. President of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Tourism Summits, Professor Peter Keller,
Ladies and Gentlemen the elected representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,1) The background
Thank you to Ms. Devouassoux and to all the organisers for your invitation.
It always gives me great pleasure to join you here in Chamonix, a mecca of Tourism if ever there was one, for the opening of the eighth Tourism Summits.
For me, this is the 3rd time that I have had the honour of opening this session, and once again I am delighted because your event highlights an idea that is dear to me, that of sustainable tourism.
And what's more, this idea is increasingly shared by all of the parties active in the field.
As expressed by Ms. Nelly Olin, the Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development, following the example of our positions, during a meeting on the Alpine Convention on 10 July 2006 in Chambéry.
It is called "sustainable tourism" due to our request that tourism must be included in the future project agreement between the State and the Rhône-Alps Region currently being finalised.
It is the kind of tourism that is respectful of the environment and of people, which places "humankind" at the centre of its concerns.
As for me, it is always with this concern that I devise any new policy, or any new plan: it is advisable to put into perspective an ethical approach to the development of tourism, respectful of the environment and mankind.Since its creation in 1999, the Tourism Summits have established themselves as a special venue for reflection, discussion and the exchange of experiences, where innovative themes can be grasped.
As a local and regional elected official, I know that it was once and still is necessary to have a "politic" vision (in the noble sense of the term) and the courage to impose these regular appointments, the subjects of which certainly deal with economic and tourism development, as well as ethics and hence sustainable development.
These Tourism Summits testify to a realisation on the part of the City of Chamonix of the contingencies that are weighing on the development of tourism more than ever.
It is all the more comforting that it is in the capital of mountaineering and winter sports that people dare to pose the questions that are of most concern, including the most iconoclastic ones.
To begin with, the headlong rush towards ever more growth: increase in trips, investments, pollution etc.
In fact, the themes of these annual meetings deal with questions about the future tourism in this valley that is so dear to us, and in more general terms, about the future of tourism beyond immediate financial benefits.
We have only too well noted the destructive effects that accompany periods of economic euphoria.2) The Tourism Summits: new cycle of meetings 2005-2007
Support for the event allowing us to gather together today has evolved into a kind of partnership.
In accordance with the agreement signed here this time last year, it has established a partnership with the Tourism Summits Association, the Haute-Savoie General Council, and the City of Chamonix, which means there is commitment from everyone, each having a specific role to play around a common project:
the programme whose generic theme is "innovation and the development of sustainable tourism".Innovation and Sustainable Development.
Why?
- Because in the field of the tourism economy, innovation in itself brings with it a catalysis of healthy inquiry and allows new avenues to be explored.
- Because sustainable development immediately determines, as a counterpoint, its philosophical and ethical context.
I hope that these meetings from 2005 to 2007 also make it possible to find concrete solutions to the following question:
Such is also the meaning of our presence among you.
What solutions exist to make our regional territory more attractive and more competitive within the context of increasing global competition?3) Programme 2006: Transport innovations and Tourism development. What are the alternatives to private vehicles in the tourist regions?
This theme comes under the heading of civic commitment.
As with all civic commitments, the Region has been involved since 2004.
It is not only a slogan, but a concrete reality; you will notice it through the regional policy that I will describe.In the past, the journey was an integral part of the holiday.
Is it impossible, in the increasingly consumerist world that we live in today, to view the journey once more as a time for genuine relaxation and exploration?
It was a pleasure for the tourist, an entirely separate activity for relaxation and exploration—for the record, the Route Nationale 7 highway is as well known as the places it leads to.
Today it must be admitted that the journey is often synonymous with constraints and difficulties.
Wasted time, traffic jams, and transfers (between transport modes) are the terms increasingly used to describe it.4) The Region and its transport policy
This policy is being overseen by my colleague Bernard Soulage, executive vice president.
With 535.15 M€ in 2005, or more than 30% of the regional budget, transport is reaffirmed as the priority of regional policy.
In addition to making the transport networks play their major role in the balanced and interdependent development of the regional territory, it is the desire to make transporting passengers in the region a more attractive public service, to limit car use, and to develop the share of the rail freight that has led the Rhône-Alps to mobilise such significant resources.Three strategic objectives are currently guiding the action of the Rhône-Alps Region:
- Develop a successful and attractive regional transport service for travellers to offer Rhône-Alps residents a credible alternative to the car.
- Reinforce intermodality to allow better linking of transportation modes, a condition necessary for asserting the major role of public transport.
- Improve connections between the different regional hubs and their access to the major Rhône-Alps highways.
I will take advantage of this forum to present the policy in the area of soft mobility to you in greater detail, in order to clarify this year's theme.
In January 2006, the plenary session of the regional council adopted a resolution on soft mobility.The Rhône-Alps Region is currently carrying out an ambitious policy aimed at a more environmentally friendly mobility by supporting rail and river modes, and by determinedly exercising its jurisdiction as the organising authority of the regional transportation for travellers.
But the development of modes of transportation able to offer a true alternative to the private car cannot be left at that.It is essential to devise and develop innovative solutions to meet new mobility needs, and needs that cannot be satisfied by the traditional offerings of public transportation: for example, an increasingly complex sequence of trips during a day, periurbanisation, small and short trips...
Through the continuous support from the authorities in creating complementary alternative solutions, the organisation of new forms of mobility becomes public, environmentally friendly transport: cycling, carpooling, car sharing...
This is why the Rhône-AlpsRegion is engaging in a policy favouring an environmentally friendly soft mobility, with the goals of:
- reinforcing the promotion of sustainable development in the context of its transport policy and its jurisdiction as the organising authority of regional transportation for travellers,
- strengthening its action in support of the modal shift to public transport, especially to its TER (regional) train network through a feeder service, supported by soft modes,
- contributing to the emergence of new mobility practices,
- contributing towards making actions performed in the regional territory consistent, and exchanging experiences,
- supporting technological and industrial innovations in the equipment and services of soft mobility.
In this context, the Region's will focus on two principal lines of action:
- implementing a policy in favour of cycling, and supporting the development of new soft mobility practices across the entire regional territory;
- supporting the intermodal implementation of urban transportation plans in medium-sized cities.
In the fifth debate on Friday morning, moreover, we will again take up the theme of soft mobility.
Soft mobility: A pipe dream or a genuine market niche for tourism?1st line of action
Implementing a policy in favour of cyclingAction 1
Planning of secured parking spaces and automated lockers in the areas around rail stations (including bike racks)Action 2
Planning of feeder bicycle paths near TER stationsAction 3
Creation of bicycle parking stations in TER stationsAction 4
Cycle routes – greenways2nd line of action
Supporting the development of new soft mobility practices across the entire regional territoryAction 5
Business-to-business transportation planAction 6
Contribution to requests for proposalsAction 7
Centre for carpooling, car sharing and other innovative systems...Action 8
Studies and experiments relating to environmentally friendly transport solutions in high-density, environmentally sensitive zones visited by touristsAction 9
Creation of intermodal TER-public transport centres of the "station-to-station" typeAction 10
Implementation of secure parking for bicycles in the vicinity of secondary schools and institutions of higher educationAction 11
Creation of secure pedestrian walk areas between public transit stops and the entrance to TER stations5) Regional policy in the area of tourism
Sustainable tourism
Since the beginning of his term of office, President Queyranne has committed the Region to an approach integrating the principles of sustainable development in all its policies.
The regional plan for developing tourism and leisure activities will significantly reflect this demand.
We are at the beginning of carrying this out, in the stage for diagnosis and exchange with the territories, elected officials, and citizens.
Eight departmental meetings have or will be organised, and are meeting with real success.
Real questions emerge when it is necessary to promote a tourism that creates wealth, certainly, but also guarantees a protected environment.Our objective is to highlight strategic priorities that will establish the future contexts for regional intervention in tourism.
Mountain regional strategy
Adopted Thursday, 30 November in plenary session, this strategy is broken down into thirteen proposals.
Among these proposals, one deals with sustainable tourism, and is entitled:
Making the Rhône-Alps a benchmark mountain region in sustainable tourism.
The mountains are spaces offering hospitality and are popular tourist spots.
The Rhône-Alps Region would like to become a region of excellence in sustainable tourism and wishes to change from a quantitative development of tourism to one that is strongly oriented towards quality.
Rhône-Alps, the region where mountaineering was born, owes it to itself to set an example in the quality of its tourist resorts.
At any rate, many resorts no longer have any choice other than to enter into the strict management of the available natural resources (natural heritage, water, land reserve, agricultural areas, etc.).
Their near-historic task is now to create a “supportable tourism” that could become a benchmark even beyond the region's borders.
This is even more important since the competing regions are ahead on this set of themes, and since the Rhône-Alps Region is an exporter of engineering for mountain planning and tourism equipment to the entire world (cf. mountain industries cluster).
Moreover, the regional policies in the field of tourism will have to take into account the diversity of the massifs and respect their distinctive features.The Region’s commitments
The Region will develop a policy of sustainable tourism in mountain areas, in particular encouraging the following to be taken into account:
- New expectations of clientele,
- The necessary diversification of tourism activities that are environmentally friendly and socially accessible, for more balanced visitor numbers throughout the year and a "four seasons" tourism,
- The impact of climatic changes,
- Visitor number management,
- Environmental management and the development of renewable energies, and control over the energy used for tourism facilities and equipment,
- Access to the mountain (both to activities and facilities) by disabled people, in keeping with the current resolution on this topic,
- Soft mobility and innovative solutionsin order to access sensitive tourist sites, or to move about within these sites,
- Employment and the quality of the employment, in particular for seasonal workers in tourism (lodging, training, etc.) consistent with the regional plan for employment and the Framework Plan on Seasonality dated March 2006, as well as the measures taken to apply this plan.
Furthermore, the Region will favour the emergence of innovative eco-tourism projects, particularly in dispersed tourism territories.
The Region will support overall, territory-wide offerings uniting ordinary and remarkable nature, and cultural heritage.
Finally, with the goal of winning back a young audience, who are visiting the mountains in decreasing numbers, the Region will provide its support to targeted actions in favour of this audience, such as:
- Raising schoolchildren's awareness about mountain environments,
- Structuring, strengthening, and promoting the offering, by adapting it to the expectations of young people,
- Supporting discovery classes and winter sports classes for young Rhône-Alps residents,
- Enhancement of mountain youth programmes...
Aware of the effort of adaptation made necessary by these changes, the Region will support efforts in training, networking, and, generally speaking, any activity aiming to take the principles of sustainable development into account.
To finish, I will also cite the requirement for the Rhône-Alps Region to organise the skiing world championships in 2009 at Val d'Isère with the major goal of 0 (ZERO) individual cars.
The Rhône-Alps Region is confident of achieving this goal.In conclusion
We will thus pay particular attention to your work; the thoughts that will emerge from these meetings must concretely sustain future activities in the field of tourism and transport.
Our Rhône-Alps Region holds within itself the desire to work at searching for alternatives to any private vehicles.
Sustainable development is permanently at the very heart of our policy concerns.
Such a demanding programme involves ongoing commitment from the territories as well as continued communication with those active in the field.We are implementing this approach by way of developing our regional plan for tourism; and this is why tomorrow and the day after I will not be able to attend the rest of your deliberations, as I will be in the Rhône and at Isère for these reasons.
Please excuse me.
I thank you for your attention and wish us all a constructive 2006 Summit.
