This summer, in the Creuse Valley as everywhere in France, three disruptive elements, chaotic weather, the legislative elections, and the Olympic Games, disrupted the tourist season. “The drop in attendance compared to 2022 and 2023 is general, particularly for outdoor activities which usually bring a lot of people to usnotes Jean-Paul Martin, vice-president of the Éguzon-Argenton community of communes, delegate for tourism. We actually returned to 2019 figures, since the Covid period was followed by a recovery. »
A drop in attendance of 12.5% compared to last year
From June 15 to September 15, the tourist offices of Argenton-sur-Creuse, Éguzon, Gargilesse and Saint-Gaultier received 5,500 requests and provided 4,319 counter receptions, with a number of 10,800 visitors in the region, a drop of 12.5% compared to 2023. It should be noted the significant arrival of foreigners (English, Dutch, Belgians and Germans) who represent 10% of these people passing through, made up mainly of inhabitants of the Centre-Val de region. Loire, but also New Aquitaine and Ile de France.
“The results are very mixed”
“The national cycle tourism concentration organized on Ascension weekend from Argenton-sur-Creuse was a real success with a total of 1,500 participants over three days” underlines Jean-Paul Martin, who deplores, on the contrary, a drop in the level of guided tours, despite the arrival of 44 groups in partnership with the Indre Attractiveness Agency. Summer activities attracted 450 people with highlights such as crayfish fishing on Abloux and Clavières, the treasure hunt at Gillée, guided tours of Saint-Gaultier and Éguzon, while those of Argenton- sur-Creuse were much less popular.
The number of overnight stays has fallen
In general, accommodation was down, particularly for campsites, with an average of 2.3 nights compared to 3.5 last year. The Éguzon VVF, for example, shows a shortfall of €40,000 over the period in question. “The results are very mixedsummarizes Jean-Paul Martin, with a catastrophic month of July and a rather good month of August. »
An observation which made Johann Francisco, director of the Creuse Valley tourist office, say: “We are really dependent on the weather, and this year we noticed a delay in vacations until mid-September, particularly for retirees. »
If the weather is suitable, will the late season, with the Chestnut Festival, currently underway, and the numerous hiking offers in the area, confirm this improvement?
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