The Tourism Sector Committee met on February 2, 2021, under the chairmanship of Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in charge of Tourism, the day after a series of government announcements establishing new border restrictions.
Despite considerable consequences for tour operators and, in the case of overseas departments and regions, for all companies in the tourism sector, the submission for compelling reasons of any travel to or from a country outside the Union European Union or the Overseas Territories was presented from the outset by the Secretary of State as a lesser evil vis-à-vis the reconfigurations initially anticipated. In fact, the possibilities on the metropolitan territory of interregional trips during the school holidays do indeed raise some hopes among the actors of the sector.
Do not abandon other tourism sectors
In addition to the issue of border closures, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne also recalled in his introductory remarks the Prime Minister’s strong commitment to the support offered by the State to mountain stakeholders, heavily affected by the restrictions put in place. by the government in response to the health crisis. Echoing a specific meeting held the day before, the Secretary of State insisted on the more strategic dimension of measures which should not only be in the order of the support plan but also translate into a plan. investment aimed at allowing France to regain its former position as the leading European mountain tourism destination. If it is interesting and welcome for the government to participate in the reflections and the financial effort of local actors, both public and private, for a reconquest, an upmarket and an ecological transition of the mountain sector, it would be even more so. that this type of commitment also covers other sectors also affected such as heritage tourism in urban areas, business tourism or even events.
Advocacy of the various sectors and professions
The meeting also enabled many professional organizations in the sector to express their grievances, their specificities and consequently their proposals in terms of adjusting the regulatory framework or the economic support mechanisms put in place by the government. Thus, the tour guides questioned the Secretary of State again on the gauges applicable to visits in urban areas; cruise lines have requested confirmation of the types of tests required for disembarkations of French nationals; nightclubs have requested the postponement of annual safety reviews for establishments that have been closed for nearly a year; zoological parks suggested permission to open in the case of fully open-air structures, or tourist limousines made the proposal to include the depreciation of their immobilized vehicles in the calculations of the accompanying devices.
Often called upon by the economic players in their territory and on the front line to offer them support in the leeway that is theirs, metropolises, large cities and large communities will naturally follow the evolution of the provisions applicable to tourism companies. In addition, the forthcoming creation of a “Tourism” commission in urban France should make it possible to give scope for reflection and prepare for the recovery and inevitable adaptation of the sector, particularly in urban tourism, to the new situation created by the epidemic and by the necessary adaptation to climate change.
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