Go on an adventure, get off the beaten track, discover cultural heritage, take time for yourself… The Moselle surprises more and more visitors each year. “Today, tourism in Moselle is no longer a utopia, it has become a reality,” declared Patrick Weiten, President of the department and of Moselle Attractiveness.
During the press conference dedicated to the advancement of the new tourism development strategy for the Moselle, which was held on Monday May 6, Patrick Weiten highlighted the path traveled by the Moselle over the last ten years: “The Moselle started from afar. From now on, we aspire to tourism excellence.”
The first results of the new tourism strategy were presented to the Press Club in Metz. © PHOTO: Sandra Lochon
Major pillar of the Moselle economy
Tourism represents a major pillar of the Moselle economy, with more than 16,000 employees in the sector, and expenditure reaching 500 million euros: an increasing trend. In 2023, 52 million euros of investments have been announced to densify the tourist offer in the department.
One of the main objectives is to position the Moselle as a leading tourist destination. Currently, day visitors represent 70% of visits to Moselle sites and territories, while stayers only account for 30%.
This is a major issue for tourism stakeholders in the region, because average spending per stayer is approximately twice as high as that of day trippers (55 euros compared to 23 euros per day on average).
“We have taken a first step in this direction, since we recorded a 2% increase in overnight stays in July and August, thanks to the competition of flagships such as Center Parc-Domaine des Trois Forêts, which will account for 1,230,000 overnight stays in 2023” , underlines Patrick Weiten.
4.8 million entries to tourist sites
Moselle recorded 4.4 million commercial tourist nights in 2023, placing it third among tourist departments in the Grand-Est. In addition, tourist sites open to the general public have accumulated 4.8 million entries, an increase of 13% compared to 2022.
The figures demonstrate real tourism dynamism in the Moselle department.
Alexandre Keff
Vice-president of Moselle Attractiveness
“The figures demonstrate real tourist dynamism in the Moselle department,” said Alexandre Keff, vice-president of Moselle Attrabilité.
Sainte-Etienne Cathedral (726,000 entries), the Amnéville zoo (453,553 entries) and the Sainte-Croix Animal Park (340,000 entries) were the most visited sites in 2023. The leisure city of Amnéville and Walygator represents the largest tourist area in the Grand-Est with more than 70 activities offered.
Nature tourism
One of the Moselle tourist attractions is the Sainte-Croix animal park, attracting nature and animal lovers with its 1,500 animals spread over more than 130 hectares. In 2023, it welcomed 340,000 visitors, including a record 39,000 people who stayed in the lodges.
“The choice of this family business is to work more than 95% with local businesses,” said Laurent Singer, president of the animal park.
The park offers several new features this year, including a new course, accessible since March 20, called “Le monde de Néo”, which extends over 6000m² and includes three alpacas, an arch, as well as four different universes. In addition, a farm intended for families will be built by 2025 and will be able to accommodate several educational classrooms.
Finally, a program to strengthen the animal population is planned, with the planned reception on June 29 of a pair of white-tailed eagles (a species of bird of prey, editor’s note) in the heart of a wild and natural territory. An aviary of 650m² and 8 meters high will be installed partly on an island and on the Etang des Cormorans, representing a first in France.
Laurent Singer also exclusively announced a new unique event, a nighttime show on the theme of the search for winter. A 1h15 journey through the heart of the park represents “a new approach to team and location management. A dynamic created over a long period (December to March).”
In 2023, we returned to our pre-pandemic attendance rates.
Eric Bagriot
Boss of the Hattigny Center Parcs
Moselle also has on its territory the largest Center Parcs in Europe, the Center Parcs Domaine Les Trois Forêts d’Hatigny, which celebrated its 13th anniversary in 2023. In the 2022-2023 season, it welcomed 1.23 million of nights and is the second European park in terms of turnover.
“In 2023, we have returned to our pre-pandemic attendance rates,” said Eric Bagriot, boss of Center Parcs in Hattigny. Foreign customers, mainly Belgian, German and Dutch, represent 55% of the customer base. Of the 45% of French people, 25% are from the greater region. “We are highlighting the local rural tourism economy,” says the president of the department.
New experiences centered on nature are offered at Center Parcs: a cycle path inaugurated last year, a connected greenhouse, a nature trail, an essential oil workshop, a summer tourist shuttle set up with the Sainte-Croix park.
An upscaling of the offer
In 2023, the ambition of the “Christmas of Moselle” was to offer a higher quality tourist offer than in previous years throughout the Moselle territory. The various Christmas markets in Metz attracted 1.5 million visitors, an increase of 35% compared to 2022.
Attendance, particularly foreign (40%), was notably boosted by the third place obtained by Metz in the Best Christmas Markets competition, organized by European Best Destination.
The Sarrebourg Christmas market also experienced historic attendance: 44,000 visitors in 2023, compared to 8,000 in 2022, thus placing it on the podium, as the third busiest Christmas market in Moselle, after Metz and Forbach.
Last October, Moselle destination passes were created to discover the 45 MOSL Quality tourist sites. This initiative aims to encourage tourists as well as Moselle residents to take greater advantage of stays and tourist activities in the department. Since their introduction, 13,000 Moselle Destination Passes have been issued, thus facilitating access and discovery of the region’s tourist sites.
