Alexandra Jaegy, edited by Juliette Moreau Alvarez 06:18, September 26, 2022

Belle-Île attracts tourists, and maybe too many.

The community of municipalities has decided to refuse a prize for its Grande Randonnée trail to avoid publicity and overtourism, deemed too polluting.

A firm decision which nevertheless seems to be taboo on the spot.

The Belle-Île GR 340 was voted France's favorite long-distance hiking trail this year.

The number of hikers on the GR has increased by 25% this summer compared to 2021. A trail that is enjoying enormous and growing success with tourists.

However, the community of municipalities on the island decided to refuse the prize to avoid too much publicity and limit the problem of overtourism. 

Thus, the trophy for the favorite trail of the French will not be awarded to Belle-Île this year.

The goal: to avoid too much communication around this trail, which is already very popular with hikers.

A choice of the community of municipalities which is debating and raises another question: that of attendance on the island.

In August 2021 alone, 103,388 visitors came, compared to 100,858 in 2020. But it is a subject that annoys on the spot. 

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The taboo of overtourism 

Omerta on Belle-Île faced with this decision.

Four days of investigation, and no answers from the community of municipalities which does not wish to speak.

Same story for some volunteers from environmental defense associations who say they cannot testify.

The first to want to speak was Nicole Le Noble from the association "Savoir Faire des Iles du Ponant".

She understands this decision aimed, in turn, to control the use of the trail: "There is a huge lack of respect among hikers. When we go for a walk there is toilet paper everywhere, it's dirty. "

Presenting hikers as polluters and too numerous does not pass with Madeleine Lebranchu, president of the Morbihan hiking federation.

For her, we must look for those responsible for overtourism elsewhere: "Our sport is the concern to preserve, not to disturb. I find that a bit of a shame... are there only hikers in Belle-Île? We can ask ourselves the question, "she laments at the microphone of Europe 1.

The arrival of luxury tourism?

In conclusion, refusals to speak and sibylline answers with in subtext, perhaps, simply an evolution of the world of tourism evoked by Audrey, an ice cream seller on the Island for seven years: "There is no not only hikers who come to Belle-Île. We see cars passing by, we see Teslas, Porsches... We see more and more of them. It's not the same wallets that come to Belle-Île as 'before."

Are there good or bad tourists on the island?

The debate is therefore launched.

But for the moment, no concrete measure has been taken to regulate attendance.