The influx of visitors to the Marseille creeks threatens both the environmental balance of the place but also the tranquility of residents.

Local officials are now seeking to dissuade certain tourists from going there, by redirecting them to the beaches of Marseille, Cassis or La Ciotat.

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It is one of the star vacation destinations: the creeks between Marseille and Cassis.

This national park attracts more and more people every year, which now poses a lot of questions and concerns for ecosystems and for residents.

Faced with the problems encountered, the park administration is looking for solutions to limit the number of visitors in this postcard setting.

Because whatever the season, at the first ray of sun the residents experience the influx of visitors, testifies Pascal Chaix, the president of the Association of the district of Port-Miou.

"From February, there are recurring traffic jams, incivility, cleanliness problems. We have a gem. We absolutely want to share it, but this paradise must not become hell."

145 kilos of waste in one hour

Mass tourism could well spoil this dream setting, deplores Eric Akopian, president of the Clean my Calanques association, which is increasing the collection of waste.

"There are so many people who come that in one hour, with fifteen people, we collect 145 kilos of waste in the creeks," he reports.

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Establish a visitor quota

To curb this over-attendance, a dissuasive counter-communication is carried out in the media and on social networks, explains the president of the Calanques National Park, Didier Réault.

"If the visitor thinks he will find a beach with white sand, a hut, toilets, a left-luggage office ... That is not it at all. It is not in the creeks that it is necessary to come but on the urban beaches of Marseille, Cassis or La Ciotat ", he points out.

A six-month test will be carried out next winter in the Calanque de Sugiton.

It will be necessary to reserve its place with a quota of about 500 people, that is to say five times less than the current attendance.