The president of Club Med, Henri Giscard d'Estaing, sent an open letter to the government asking for the resumption of activity in ski resorts.

Jean Castex is due to announce his decision on January 20.

In this context, the February holidays, a time of great crowds in the mountains, are therefore suspended.

INTERVIEW

With the closure of the ski lifts due to the coronavirus crisis, mountain professionals have started an economically difficult season.

They are due to meet Prime Minister Jean Castex next Wednesday, January 20 to find out if their activity can resume in the following weeks.

But already, Henri Giscard d'Estaing, president of Club Med, sent an open letter to the government, published in the Journal du Dimanche.

On Europe 1, Sunday morning, he asks to "save the French mountain".

"The decision that Jean Castex is going to take will have repercussions on all those who would like to spend their holidays in the mountains", explains Henri Giscard d'Estaing.

"It also puts the survival of the French mountains at stake, which is a world leader and a fundamental human economic fabric for our country and whose survival is at stake today".

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Reinforced health protocols

Mountain professionals hope to be able to resume their activity at the beginning of February, but the deterioration of the health situation could work against them.

The government, which has decided to introduce a curfew at 6 p.m. throughout the country, has not ruled out re-containment in the event of a further worsening of the epidemic.

The time is therefore less for resuming activity than for restrictions.

"The actors in the mountains have worked on health protocols, on a way of operating in good conditions of freedom and security. In addition, the absence of foreign customers limits attendance and, consequently, there is all the reasons today to open the mountain resorts ", nevertheless wants to believe Henri Giscard d'Estaing.

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February holidays suspended

For the president of Club Med, the sanitary conditions offered in ski resorts should be compared with those of public transport, which themselves remain open.

“In the stations, PCR or antigen tests will be requested,” he adds.

If health restrictions are maintained, Henri Giscard d'Estaing fears that some professionals will not spend the winter and must go out of business.

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The aid plan deployed at the time of the end of the year celebrations represented only a "minimal" compensation in the face of the volume of turnover lost, argues Henri Giscard d'Estaing, while Club Med employs 4,200 employees in its Alpine villages, "most of whom are currently at home in partial employment".

The challenge now is to save the February holidays, a period of high traffic in the resorts.