- The tourists do not rush in Alsace since the deconfinement. The region, which had welcomed 23 million visitors in 2019, is struggling to seduce.
- Many hotels are closed, reservations are slow to materialize…
- Long in the red zone during confinement, does Alsace still pay for this image? Some think so and a communication operation has been launched.
Good news for tourists. If you do not yet know where to book, know that there is still room in Alsace. On the Wine Route, in Strasbourg, Colmar, in the Northern Vosges ... everywhere! The region, which attracted 23 million visitors in 2019 according to figures from the regional tourism agency Grand Est, is now struggling to attract.
"There has been a slight trembling in recent days," says Marc Lévy, the president of Alsace destination tourisme (ADT). “Now, when the phone rings at the accommodation providers, it is to get news or to book. During the months of confinement, it was to cancel. "
"People have trouble projecting themselves"
In Strasbourg, calls still arrive little in hotels. “Many establishments are still closed, there must be about twenty out of 150 open. It is no coincidence, there are very few requests. People find it difficult to plan, few are those who book more than a fortnight in advance, "said Pierre Siegel, president of the union of hotel and restaurant owners in the capital of Bas-Rhin.
He decided to open his establishment, the Best Western Monopole Métropole, for a very disappointing result ... "I must be at an occupancy rate of 12-15% ... At the moment, even with a reduced number of employees , I lose nearly 10,000 euros per week, "he says, regretting that the region has long been synonymous with the red zone, when covid-19 circulated more than elsewhere. "According to the latest figures, we are now one of the least affected places but I have the impression that we are dragging this image ..."
"The local clientele cannot be enough"
It was to get rid of it that the ADT launched a “crisis” communication operation. “We are going to highlight local pride, explains Marc Lévy. We will see the first expressions of it in the regional daily press newspapers this week and then we will tackle in particular Germany and Belgium. "
The recent reopening of European borders could do good to a region of which around a third of the overnight stays were due last year to foreign customers (ADT figure). "At the deconfinement, there were many locals and Mosellans who rushed on the Vosges ridges, at Mont Sainte-Odile or in the castles", continues the director of the tourist development agency. “It has been good for the sector but the local clientele cannot be enough. It is the people who come from far away who generate meals in restaurants or overnight stays. "
"People love Alsace and will come back"
"This summer, there will still be no long-distance tourists, like the Americans or Asians", nuance Pierre Siegel, without complaining. But with the wish that the situation quickly evolves in the right direction.
Nathalie Birling does not doubt it. "People love Alsace and will come back," says the manager of the tourist office of Mulhouse and its region. Gone are the days when the capital of the Haut-Rhin hosted one of the first contamination clusters. “All the indicators are green and our attractions, such as the eco-museum or the Petit Prince park, will soon reopen. Life has resumed its course, we are delighted to welcome our tourists, "she insists. "Summer will be lively! "
Strasbourg
Holidays near Strasbourg: On foot or by bike, five ideas for outings between castles, lakes, vineyards, plains and forests
Strasbourg
Holidays near Strasbourg: Lakes, nature reserves, urban art ... Five original ideas within 100 km
- Strasbourg
- Wine
- Tourism