It’s hard to imagine that the summer holidays are here so much the weather resembles that of October. This Wednesday, Brittany will however welcome its first summer visitors. The fourth largest tourist region in France, the peninsula was one of the least affected by the Covid-19 crisis last year, showing a slight decline in its attendance. At the dawn of a second summer disrupted in terms of health, Brittany seems to be one of the privileged French destinations. Especially since the region has already turned into a “climatic refuge” over the past two years when the heat wave hit the whole of France. A scenario that will have to repeat itself if we are to believe the temperature increase forecasts announced by climatologists. Should Brittany worry about it? Perhaps. But above all, she must prepare for it.
For several years now, the Regional Tourism Committee has refrained from promoting the most popular tourist sites in summer. No photo of Belle-Ile or Cap Fréhel to avoid saturation. This year, he even proposed an offbeat communication to invite visitors to venture into lesser-known sites: the forest of Huelgoat rather than that of Brocéliande, the menhirs of Saint-Just rather than those of Carnac. “Our goal is to have sustainable and responsible tourism. We have some very valuable sites that need to be protected and we know it. But you have to be careful before talking about overcrowding, ”relativizes Anne Gallo, vice-president of the regional council responsible for tourism.
Brittany: In Crozon, access restrictions to a famous surf spot are making waves https://t.co/X4KAvU2vMe via @ 20minutesRennes pic.twitter.com/K3DM8barh0
– 20 Minutes Rennes (@ 20minutesrennes) July 6, 2021
Last summer, however, some sites suffered from the call of nature felt by a large number of urban dwellers confined for too long. In Belle-Ile, Groix or Bréhat, “mass” tourism had made itself felt. Just elected mayor of Crozon, Patrick Berthelot had also noticed. His predecessor had even had to prohibit access to the beach of the Virgin Island, a little secret gem that has become much too well known. “Our economy here is touristy so we should be happy about it. But you need to be careful. In Crozon, I think that we are already at the maximum of our reception capacity ”. Its territory also works to recommend new routes to its visitors in order to “disperse” the flows. The benefit is twofold since the entire territory benefits from the economic spinoffs and visitors can enjoy their excursion with peace of mind. “Habits must change for our tourism to be smart and respectful. But it takes time ”.
The mayor of Crozon discovered this the hard way when he restricted access to the sensitive site of La Palue, a famous and busy surf spot where cars were piled up. “We have to anticipate. Everything leads us to believe that tourism in Brittany will explode with global warming. It could become a real problem ”, assures Olivier Marquer, surfer living in Crozon opposed to the mayor’s project. “What we are asking for are arrangements that respect nature. I don’t want it to become like in the South, ”slips this former opposition councilor.
In the region, however, we are reassuring about the risk of saturation, with supporting figures. For five years, attendance has been high but it has remained stable, with 12 to 13 million visitors per year for around 100 million overnight stays. “We are fortunate to have a region with multiple riches, less well-known interior territories. It is up to us to promote them. Everyone will benefit from it, ”concludes Anne Gallo.