In summer, Saint-Tropez is a popular tourist spot for stars as well as wealthy travelers and ordinary people wanting to feel the atmosphere of the famous seaside town. But behind the glamorous image hides another reality…
Despite the growth of Atlantic seaside resorts, the Côte d’Azur remains the most popular holiday destination in France. And it continues to attract tourists, particularly the richest from France… and from around the world! Depending on the summer, we come across Beyoncé as well as Victoria Beckham and Elton John. Result: owners of villas and other luxury residences take advantage of this and continue to skyrocket the prices of seasonal real estate in the region.
But in the meantime, the gap is widening between these wealthy travelers and… the seasonal workers. Indeed, it is they who bring the city adored by tourists to life throughout the summer in the restaurants, bars, ice cream parlors, stores or even on the moored yachts. However, like almost everywhere in the tourist areas of France, Saint-Tropez has been struggling to find its seasonal workers for several years now.
In question ? In addition to the question of salary, there is a particularly glaring lack of housing capable of accommodating them with affordable rents. Lack which directly impacts professionals in the tourism sector. Faced with this unprecedented housing shortage, the Saint-Tropez town hall has therefore decided to take matters into its own hands. Well… everything is relative! Rather than capping the increase in seasonal rental prices, she preferred to build a “seasonal workers’ village.” And, visually, it clearly leaves something to be desired. We are far from the glamor displayed to the eyes of tourists.
Since April 1, the city’s seasonal employees (security guards, daycare or museum employees, etc.) have been housed in a group of temporary removable modules located behind the Moulin Blanc sports campus. Capable of accommodating 47 people, these prefabs are fully equipped – air conditioning, wifi, shared kitchen, washing machine and others – and cost 100 euros per month for a surface area of 15m2.
A decision which, although it has the merit of resolving short-term problems, still raises some eyebrows. However, Sylvie Siri, the mayor of this popular town in Var, denies it. “In the summer, the population of Saint-Tropez increases tenfold. We therefore absolutely have to structure our services and hire seasonal workers. But we came up against two problems: the shortage of housing and the level of remuneration offered by the civil service. So we had this double problem and we had no choice but to find an innovative system.she told France Bleu.
