Tourism in Burgundy-Franche-Comté: the season is starting again!

The Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region offered a presentation of the launch of the 2022 tourist season this Thursday, May 19. This season is a reunion with tourists, after two years of health crisis. If the start of the season seems promising, we must also innovate for the years to come.

The 2022 tourist season is looking pretty good! The Regional Tourism Committee (CRT) of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté affirms that the level of tourist attendance for the first 4 months of the year has returned to that of before the health crisis.

According to Patrick Ayache, president of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Tourisme, the level of overnight stays by extra-regional customers has exceeded the number of overnight stays in 2019: from 7 million overnight stays (all establishments combined), there are 8.5 million overnight stays reached in 2021.

While against 8 million overnight stays for foreign customers, 6.5 million overnight stays were reached in 2021, i.e. nearly 20% less.

The frequentation of French tourists in our region is therefore increasing and makes it possible to compensate for the disappearance of part of the foreign clientele. “The results of these first four months are very good” says Patrick Ayache.

For now, according to surveys carried out by the CRT, visit intentions for Bourgogne-Franche-Comté “are only 5%”more “the average tourist often books as late as possible”. But this level of reservation is “almost double what was seen in 2021”, “the season is going to be good!”

Nevertheless, if the reservations are going to arrive, the President of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté tourism issues a small caveat about the current crisis period: “Is the average basket of tourists going to be the same, I have some doubts on that.”

Patrick Ayache’s interview, about the start of the tourist season:

Another subject is the weakening of tourist structures, hotels and restaurants, which are undergoing a recruitment crisis. Faced with the arduous schedules and tasks, Patrick Ayache asserts that the CRT “accompanies these operators and the Regional Council is looking into it in an extremely serious way.”

Patrick Ayache’s interview, about the fragility of the hotel and restaurant sector:

In 2019, German tourists represented the 2nd international clientele of hotels and open-air establishments in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, with 219,000 hotel nights, as well as 344,000 camping nights (source Insee).

Nevertheless, a decline in the attendance of German customers has been observed over the past two years, on the one hand linked to health restrictions, and on the other hand linked to certain sedentarization habits of Germans. In addition, some restrictions have just been lifted in Germany.

The start of tourism will take place in a staggered manner and has been “felt in March-April“, according to Joachim Schweda, president of “Touren Service”, a wholesaler working in the field of bus reservations on behalf of tour operators.

The advantage of our Region is “geographical proximity” German population pools. Joachim Schweda gives the example of inhabitants of Berlin, for whom it is necessary to travel 700 to 800 kilometers to reach Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. “For Paris, it’s already 1000 kilometers, and the castles of the Loire, 1200-1300 kilometers.”

If the distance already plays a role in the attractiveness, it is also the type of tourism which is proposed which can have an influence in the choice of German tourists: “It also depends on the subjects on which we communicate”explains Joachim Schweda. “We communicate here in the region on nature, on wine, on gastronomy, which are subjects that also interest the Germans.”

Note the role that the International City of Gastronomy and Wine of Dijon will play in this attractiveness: “It is already mentioned in our advertising brochures for 2023, we are already working on the next season. The current tourist season has started. It is certain that the Cité de la Gastronomie will be an important asset for the Region!” assures Joachim Schweda.

Interview with Joachim Shweda, president of a wholesale company to charter German tour operator coaches:

The President of the Region, Marie-Guite Dufay, confirms that the context is “optimistic”but he is “not normal” according to her. “The price increase, the recruitment problems among restaurateurs show us that despite everything, the context is abnormal. We have entered a context of price increases!”

The Region is responding to this increase by halving the price of its “Discovery Pass”: the Pass’Découverte, launched in 2020 together with the “Get Out Home”at the end of the first confinement, allows you to visit more than 120 sites to choose from in the Region.
He is now offered to the “solidarity tariff” : for 40 euros per year (adult) or 20€/year (child), the “Discovery pass” allows you to discover museums, abbeys, castles, citadels, bike rental, rosalies, guided tours, boat trips, contemporary art center…

2,700 inhabitants of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté have benefited from the Discovery Pass since its launch in 2020.

This market is buoyant: 15% of tourists coming to Bourgogne-Franche-Comté do so for professional reasons.

The events sector has also been impacted by the health crisis. The BFC Region has therefore decided to support the profession by carrying out a digital revolution, to keep up with the flow of global competition. The Region has invested 1 million euros to set up a digital platform: “Connect Events” to generate 4.0 exhibitions

This makes it possible to organize shows, fairs, virtual and hybrid events.

The project is carried by the two congress centers in BFC: Dijon Congrexpo and the Parc des Expositions et des Congrès Micropolis (Besançon)

The hybridization of events makes it possible to always retain face-to-face visitors, but makes it possible to win more participants from more distant territories.

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