The beach of Batz-sur-mer (Loire-Atlantique) in 2018 -

S. Salom Gomis / SIPA

  • Sixth department in terms of overnight stays, Loire-Atlantique has managed to do well.

  • Sea trips, hiking and cycling were very popular.

A balance sheet "much more positive than hoped".

After a dreaded summer season, Loire-Atlantique tourism professionals breathe a little.

This Wednesday, their representatives met to review this very special summer.

And the "record is relatively satisfactory", announces Bernard Lebeau, vice president tourism at the Loire-Atlantique departmental council.

According to a survey carried out in mid-August, the furniture was partly saved, with "a third of the professionals questioned [who] achieved a turnover equivalent or even better than that of the 2019 season".

One of the main reasons is that "the length of stay for tourists was shorter than in previous summers," observes Loire-Atlantique Développement, the department's tourism promotion agency, which speaks of a "short but dense" season.

A local clientele and “covid-compatible” activities

If Loire-Atlantique has resisted, it is because the department is traditionally little visited by foreign customers (12 to 15%).

“Our local clientele has grown even further with more than 30% coming from the region,” explains Agnès Broquet, director of tourism at Loire-Atlantique Développement.

Visitors from neighboring regions such as Brittany or New Aquitaine were also even more loyal than usual (24%).

Ile-de-France represents around 20% ”.

Figures that support a strategy well before the coronavirus epidemic.

“We have been advocating this proximity tourism since 2015,” continues Bernard Lebeau.

It is cheaper, easier, accessible to all.

Too bad it had to come to that for it to explode.

"

In the department, the sixth in France in terms of overnight stays, the activities offered are also rather “covid-compatible”.

Sea trips, canoeing along the Nantes-Brest canal, pedal boat rentals, hikes inland were very popular.

Cycling routes, such as the Vélodyssée or the Loire à Vélo, saw their attendance jump by 30%.

"The sea in winter"

Forced by gauges to be respected and a health protocol, the sites of visits have struggled to pull out of the game. And while urban tourism has unscrewed everywhere in France, Nantes should not escape the rule even if the figures have not yet been communicated, and that the Voyage à Nantes continues until the end of September.

Concerns remain about the off-season, while health measures relating to the reception of groups are still in force.

With a view to the next vacation, and while uncertainty still hangs over the reopening of airlines, Loire-Atlantique Développement is preparing a new operation, “The sea in winter”, “an alternative to ski vacations” they say.

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