438,000 visitors flocked to the quays of Escale in Sète during the 2022 edition, from April 12 to 18. “It’s a new record, a figure twice that of 2018,” says Wolfgang Idiri, its director. A visitor record for a celebration of marine traditions that continues to grow over the editions. And one of the objectives of which is to preserve the soul of this festival which pays tribute to seafarers “and which we ensure that it does not become an amusement park”.
The magnificent sailboats and the various boats sailed again in the port of Sète four years after the previous edition, that of 2020 having been canceled due to the Covid-19. To manage flows, part of the city had been left to pedestrians. Huge car parks at the entrance to the Île singulière made it possible to manage the arrival of the many visitors, two-thirds of whom came by car and were brought to the center of Sète by shuttle bus.
21 million euros in benefits for the city
According to a study conducted by the CCI of Sète among spectators and made public on Tuesday, around 47% of visitors (including 7% of foreigners) come from a department other than that of Hérault. “Almost all of them come especially to take part in Escale. In particular to attend the parade of the magnificent three or four masts or to visit the brigs, frigates and other schooners at the quay.
The financial fallout is estimated at 21 million euros. This year, for the first time, around fifty restaurateurs joined the event by offering cuisine based on local fishing and shellfish farming. “85% of visitors consumed in a restaurant for an average ticket of 26 euros per person. 23% spent at least one night in merchant accommodation for an average of 46 euros per person and 46% of them spent in shops in the city for an average of 34 euros”, details the CCI in its study.
The next edition will take place from March 26 to April 1, 2024. The guest of honor country is not yet known.