France Bleu Saint-Etienne Loire: If we broach this subject it is because we were moved by this couple from Haute-Loire, new retirees from Laussonne. They ran a hotel-restaurant for 30 years. Except they can't sell it. Is the traditional hotel industry embodied by this type of business clearly in decline in the Haute-Loire department?
Chantal Pillay-Barry, tourism advisor and head of the proximity center at the Haute-Loire Chamber of Commerce: Yes, but not only that. I think it is in decline throughout rural areas. For more than fifteen years there has been a significant loss of rural establishments, linked to different factors, in favor of other types of accommodation. It is also a question of profitability. A young buyer will have to invest significantly to buy the walls. Sometimes we will have to meet standards, which is not the case in Laussonne. It is an establishment that lacks attractiveness and has problems with profitability in repaying a loan. And then the mode of consumption changes. As a consumer, we are attracted by an Airbnb or furnished tourist accommodation more easily, unfortunately, than a hotel room with a privileged welcome.
What does Airbnb represent in Haute-Loire?
Today, in Haute-Loire, we have a little more than 3,000 rental structures for a little more than 15,000 tourist beds. In the hotel industry, you have 92 employment structures for 3,420 beds. These are not the same commitments. The hotel industry is a profession and that is also the problem. We work 80 hours a week, that requires skills.
If customers want to go to hotels, perhaps there will be buyers for these establishments. How can we make customers want to choose this option instead?
Today, some have been able to put forward different concepts or equipment. Some have wellness areas. There is the quality of welcome, but we are in a world where we take less account of human relationships. You are in great care with a hotelier who has 15 rooms, who is a restaurateur who will prepare things for you with passion. Going back is complicated and there is no miracle recipe. The Haute-Loire department, with co-financing from communities, can help with the acquisition of walls. It has existed since 2017. It has allowed certain transmissions but that is not enough. The priority is to be supported. There will always be a way to find an alternative on a lease loan, on a real estate loan, on honorary loans.
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