In Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, "the Favorite Village of the French" is cushioning the crisis

"It is an incredible chance to have had that ... In our misfortune, that saved us the setting! Sophie Guibert is the owner of la Bisquine restaurant in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue (Manche). Last year, the small port, as colorful as it is picturesque, nestled at the end of the wild Cotentin peninsula, was elected Favorite Village of the French in the program of the same name, hosted by Stéphane Bern and whose new edition is broadcast this Wednesday at 9:05 p.m. on France 3.

It was in June 2019. The hotels and restaurants did not ask for so much, when they were already fully booked for the coming season, taking advantage of the fallout from the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the Landing… All the lights were green. So much so that the major difficulty for traders was then ... recruiting additional staff!

But all that was before March ... The health crisis has, in a few days, caused the turnover to drop locally. However, like many tourism players, Sophie measures more than ever the chance of having had this recognition of the heritage show. “First of all, we are starting to feel the recovery these days. And the program which was to allow us to increase attendance will at least allow us to compensate for all these negative events. "

The Vauban de la Hougue tower is one of the Cotentin wonders to visit. Morgane Production  

A positive speech shared by Stéphane Crevon, at the head of a souvenir shop and five sea lodges: “The Covid made us lose 40% of our turnover. A dead loss that will not be compensated. Of course, it is hard, but the very positive image which we benefit from, notably thanks to the program, will continue. "

Claude and Annick originally planned to come in May. “We discovered this region thanks to Stéphane Bern. We had therefore made reservations last fall. And then we canceled because of the coronavirus. In mid-May, we waited a few days, the time to see how the deconfinement was going on, then we called our guest house to see if there was still a room and we came! "

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The proof that life begins again: the island of Tatihou, one of the wonders of the region which faces Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, reopens to the public this July 4th. "For us, this is the strong symbol of the resuming season," says Ginette Noury, deputy mayor, in charge of tourism. It is obvious that the fallout from the program was severely reduced by the health crisis. But everything suggests that potential visitors who have dreamed about the images of the region and of our village in particular, will come back one after the other. "

14 villages in competition this year

Who will succeed Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue? This Wednesday evening on France 3 (at 9.55 p.m.), Stéphane Bern takes viewers on a tour of the fourteen villages in the running among which they have chosen their favorite. A stroll through the charming little medieval town of Montfort-l'Amaury (Yvelines), which also houses, through a museum, the memory of Maurice Ravel, the composer of the "Boléro". An opportunity perhaps for Ile-de-France to win the timpani, which has never happened in the previous eight editions of the show.

But the struggle will be tough. Pont-Aven, in Finistère (Brittany), its painters and pancakes, Giverny, in Eure (Normandy), its impressionist charm and its water lilies, Chablis, in Yonne (Burgundy - Franche-Comté), its wines and its monastery, or even Ménerbes, in Vaucluse (Provence-Alpes - Côte d'Azur), its impregnable citadel and its dolmen, are all very serious candidates?

Villages like Hunspach, in the Bas-Rhin (Grand-Est) with its alleys lined with half-timbered houses and the Fort of Schœnenbourg, one of the largest works of the Maginot line, or Montpeyroux, in Puy-de- Dôme (Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes) and its keep overlooking the chain of Puys should play the outsiders.

“This program is a bit like the Miss France villages competition. So the choice, like every year, will be difficult, ”smiles Stéphane Bern.