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Thomas Rideau
Published on
Nov 8, 2024 at 8:25 a.m.
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Does Seine-Maritime attract tourists? Vast question that the association is considering Seine-Maritime attractiveness which takes advantage of the end of the tourist season to take stock of the year 2024.
This Thursday, November 7, 2024, the various managers of this structure (closely linked to the Department) wanted to show that tourists were not avoiding our territory, but that it was possible to do better.
Two winners: Le Havre and Rouen
“There are two winners who have done well this year, these are the two cities: Rouen and Le Havre,” explains Jean-Marc Deverrethe director of Seine-Maritime attractiveness. Two sectors which have seen their number of tourist nights increase compared to last year.
On the contrary, we note a drop of 6% in the country of Bray and “stability” on the coast. The bad weather at the start of summer partly explains this situation, according to the director: “The weather brings more tourists to a big city. »
If we go further into the figures, we can note that in 2024, overnight stays were down very slightly in the months of April, June and July. “But this should be compared with an Armada year,” recalls Fabien le Ruyet, head of observation and studies. In total, between April and October, the number of overnight stays fell by 3.5%.
More foreigners, fewer French
An element to also be compared with the origin of visitors. During the high season, Seine-Maritime saw the number of its foreign tourists grow by +1.8%. “There are fewer French people, but more foreigners,” summarizes Jean-Marc Deverre. These foreigners mainly come from Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In fact, French tourists experienced a significant drop of 8.3%.
So much for the observation. A department which maintains its figures compared to the past two years. But, Seine-Maritime's attractiveness also emphasizes the qualitative aspect of its tourism.
“We want the Seine-Maritime destination to be perceived as a responsible destination,” presents Claire Guéroult, vice-president of the departmental council and president of Seine-Maritime attractiveness.
The Flux Vision question
Last year, 76actu showed that the Flux Vision tool of which Seine-Maritime attractiveness is a client, had “limits”. To summarize, this product implemented by Orange counts cell phones that enter an area and determines whether the person carrying it is a “day tripper” or a “tourist”. However, Flux Vision cannot determine the reason why a person is in the department. Thus, residents of Eure who go shopping in a commercial area of Seine-Maritime, students who occasionally return to their families, people hospitalized, in a detention center or more simply those who work in the area demarcated by Flux Vision can be counted as an excursionist or tourist. “It’s the least bad tool we have for measuring tourism figures,” explains Jean-Marc Deverre today, well aware that these values must be handled with caution. “Nevertheless, it allows comparisons to be made from one year to the next. » He nevertheless notes that tourist offices must exercise caution when communicating on this subject.
The association has set up a new indicator which should make it possible to calculate the carbon footprint of a tourist in the department. A working base for the years to come and move these indicators downward. Today, know that on average, a tourist consumes 25.6 kg of CO2. But the main lesson from this study: 94% of French tourists took their car to come to the department. Only 6% took the train.
And astonishing figure when we put it in parallel with the quality with which the cities of Rouen and Le Havre are served (it's irony).
Another huge construction site awaits Seine-Maritime attractiveness. Give an image, an identity to Seine-Maritime. “When we hear the word Seine-Maritime, we think of a department of Île-de-France, in Paris. When we see the 76 on a plate, we don’t know what it corresponds to,” notes Claire Guéroult. “It’s something that Brittany has done very well. When we go to Brittany, no matter the department, we go to Brittany! »
“There is a strong image deficit. » According to specialists, there is a lack of a major tourist event. A music festival? Or why not try something with gastronomic tourism? like Rouen à Table which took place in parallel with the Belly Festival and which was full. In any case, the association is available to all project leaders.
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