Hikers in the Auvergne Volcanoes regional park. – JAUBERT
- More and more French people are planning vacations off the coast, which are often crowded with people.
- Natural areas are therefore facing an increasing number of visitors, which sometimes poses a problem.
- Local authorities are reacting and getting organized for this summer.
This summer, many vacationers will not take the path to the beach, but rather that of the countryside or the mountains. According to a
Ipsos-Alliance France Tourisme survey carried out in early May, 76% of French people questioned said they wanted to “avoid busy places” during their holidays. They are also 29% to plan holidays “inland” rather than on the coast. This is almost ten points more than a year ago.
Some areas previously less frequented in summer could therefore have to deal with a considerable influx of new tourists. Local economic players (hotels, restaurants, etc.) are obviously delighted. But this upheaval is not without consequences for natural spaces, which have become very popular with French people eager to take the air after being locked up for months.
Absent marmots
Illustration at Lac d’Allos, in the heart of the Mercantour National Park, in the Alps. A very popular site… Even too much. “Last summer, the site experienced record attendance because people wanted nature,” recalls Emmanuel Gastaud, person in charge of visitors to the park. On certain days, we had 1,500 people coming to the lake, with infrastructures (parking lots) completely saturated. There were abuses in terms of noise pollution and bivouac: during one evening, more than 80 tents were set up on the banks ”.
Behaviors that directly influence the local flora and fauna. “The erosion of the soils around the lake and on its route is very advanced (…), the marmots no longer feed in the pastures, the chamois kids (females and young) do not return to the site before the influx of people. decline ”, notes the 2021 report published by the Park.
The Mercantour, which anticipates a new influx this summer, has therefore taken measures to limit the inconvenience. Access to the car park closest to Lac d’Allos will therefore be closed from 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, to limit crowds. Tourists will also be able to reserve a place to park before their visit, and a partnership with Waze will allow them to be notified on their smartphone in the event of congestion. “The goal is to eventually achieve a maximum number of visitors of 750 visitors per day on the site in order to preserve it” indicates Emmanuel Gastaud. Half less than the peak of last summer.
“The dogs in freedom, they do not all arrive by the TGV”
In the Basque Country (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), it is the cohabitation between different mountain users that raises questions. “In the mountains, there are not only walkers, there are also people who work and who manufacture quality products” recalls Jean-Baptiste Laborde, local elected representative and delegated mountain councilor for the Basque Country agglomeration .
Some shepherds have complained about many dogs without a leash which frightened the sheep and disrupted their work. And this is not necessarily the fault of tourists who have come from afar: “The dogs run free, they do not all arrive by TGV”, jokes Jean-Baptiste Laborde.
“Explain the consequences of behavior”
“Some visitors are unfamiliar with the mountain and its codes,” confirms Emmanuel Gastaud. When we go to a museum, we speak softly. In a national park, it must be the same ”. “A natural park is not a public garden”, agrees Aurélien Bazin, general manager of the services of the Parc des volcanoes d’Auvergne.
This summer, he plans to deploy additional “nature guards”. “Above all, they will have an explanatory mission. Their goal will not be to tell walkers “it is forbidden”, but to explain the consequences of such and such behavior, continues Aurélien Bazin. For example, people may want to take selfies with sheep running after them. Except that it stresses the animals enormously ”.
The other stake, for natural spaces, is to convince tourists not to focus on the most frequented places. In the Mercantour, “we are thinking about working with influencers,” says Emmanuel Gastaud. Instead of showing Lake Allos completely deserted, which does not correspond to reality in summer, they could take pictures when there are people and share them on the networks. “We are going to suggest that tourists visit sites less known than the Puy de Dôme or the Puy de Sancy, but just as interesting and magnificent,” said Aurélien Bazin. To allow everyone to breathe and enjoy their holidays in the heart of nature.