The annual report of the tourist office was presented on Monday October 28 to the elected officials of the community of communes of Espalion.
Each year, the community of municipalities grants the Terres d'Aveyron tourist office a financial grant to be able to operate and carry out its actions. The public service missions of reception, information, entertainment, promotion and tourism development of the territory are delegated to it. In return, he must present to elected officials an annual report of activity and tourist attendance. This presentation was made as a prelude to the community council this Monday evening by Valérie Delpérié, interim director under the cover of its president Éric Picard.
A well-structured organization
The tourist office is currently managed by Valérie Delpérié who is, more specifically, responsible for the product development department.
The reception center is provided by Céline Rolland (Bozouls), Manon Broch (Espalion) and Laurence Toutet (Entaygues). The administrative center (HR, tourist tax) is the domain of Luc Combettes. Sébastien Monte, Aurore Fontanié and Jennifer Richaud liaise with the service providers. Noémie Darmanin and Séverine Beauchamp take care of communications.
Attendance on the rise
For the tourist season (Easter to All Saints' Day) the BITs totaled 57,444 visitors (+27%) and provided 29,966 personalized advice (+28%). If we noted an increasingly timid month of July, we note the good attendance in the months of May, June and September. If the vast majority of receptions take place at the counter, we must also note a sharp increase in dematerialized contacts: 7,329 calls received, 955 welcotour baskets (e-documentation) and 414 emails. These visitors are most often looking for village tour guides, travel advice, hiking trails, etc. Visitors often come from neighboring departments (Haute-Garonne, Hérault, etc.). Foreign customers represent 8% of attendance. The Belgians come first. To complete the information, the Prog’Festif is produced and broadcast regularly and is available on [email protected]…
An offer for groups
If the tourist office ensures promotion, takes reservations (Bozouls little train and village visits) and acts as an intermediary with socio-professionals, group visits rely on the involvement of volunteers in the villages. These groups totaled nearly 8,000 people (+27%). The Bozouls little train is the most requested service. The new visit to the EDF Truyère Space in Couesques exceeded all expectations (1,500 visitors).
Boost visibility
The service provider center ensures the link and support with the 569 service providers (mainly hosting providers). The season launch evening on April 4 was a popular initiative.
Paper media in the form of a discovery mag, tour guides (booklet format), tourist maps have been produced.
There are also digital versions. Work was carried out with social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) with the national and local press (including our title), without forgetting influencers.
