In Crévoux, in the high alpine massif of Parpaillon, the five ski lifts will not turn during the Christmas holidays, as in all the French massifs, as the government has decided.
But the director of the tourist office, Alexis Aubespin, is optimistic:
“It's a big blow, but the impact will be less than for a large domain, it is undeniable.
Our DNA is above all that of a “village resort”, and this is not marketing, we have been using this term for thirty years
.
"
Here, in the four hamlets where 130 inhabitants live year round, holidaymakers come and return for the intimate atmosphere.
“Very quickly, visitors know the first name of the traders, that of the mayor, and that is also what they come to find.
"
The Aix-Marseille basin is near and second homes are numerous.
“Another part of our visitors opt for our destination in the same way that they choose a“ city-break ”in a way, that is to say for the general discovery of a place.
Skiing is not their primary motivation ”.
Read also: Skiing: the opening date of the ski lifts will finally be announced in mid-December
In Isère, Anne Lenfant, director of the community of communes of Cœur de Chartreuse (one of the three massifs which surround Grenoble), where the small stations of Saint-Pierre and Désert d'Entremont are located, also consoles herself with the fact that tourist activity in its territory is already based on pillars other than alpine skiing.
"We are able to offer tourists the peace of mind, the calm and the space they so need to recharge their batteries, even without skiing".
Used to "plans B"
The gites of all sizes welcome families and tribes and the vast natural spaces unfold their landscapes, open to the Bauges, the Vercors and, in the distance, the Mont-Blanc.
So make way for hiking, snowshoeing or mountain biking, interspersed with cultural breaks in pretty villages, Entremont-le-Vieux and its Cave Bear museum, Saint-Hugues and its church at the Arcabas museum of sacred art (currently closed).
“As for the great sportsmen
, concludes Anne Lenfant,
they will also find their account
of physical trips on the highlands without a car, in the heart of the National Reserve of the Hauts de Chartreuse.”
The Château de Murol, in the Sancy massif (Auvergne), can be visited all year round, including in winter.
OT Sancy
In the Sancy massif, in Auvergne, the disappointment is great there too, but the director of the Tourist Office, Luc Stelly, also expects to welcome people at Christmas.
Following the announcements of the executive last week, reservations for furnished accommodation, apartments and lodgings have accelerated.
“We've been talking about 'skiing but not just' for a long time, we have a lot of families who come and not everyone skis.
Our activities around alpine skiing are therefore not incidental, and there are many that we offer in summer and winter, such as the zip line, tree climbing or visiting the Château de Murol… ”,
indicates Luc Stelly.
Read also: How Val-d'Isère is preparing for a Christmas without classic alpine skiing
In the resorts of Super-Besse, Mont-Dore and Chastreix, 20% of ski lift turnover is generated in summer.
“
And then, as a mid-altitude resort, we have the experience of certain Christmases without snow
,” he emphasizes.
We therefore know how to react to difficulties ”.
Nordic skiing does not compensate
All these territories, however small they may be, still bear this concern about the economic impact.
Because alpine skiing remains at the center of the model.
As Jacques Alvarez, director of the Font-Romeu ski area, but also of the very small Cambre d'Aze resort in the Pyrénées-Orientales, explains: “
We talk a lot about cross-country skiing but it cannot be exploited. 'it is not backed by the sale of alpine ski passes ”
.
Nordic activity alone is not profitable, the costs are numerous (damages, trackers, etc.) and the income very low.
"Cross-country skiing is on an alpine drip and so are many other activities," he
warns, and
today the drip is empty.
The same goes for the Bauges, in Aiguillons-Margériaz.
Close to Chambéry and Annecy, this small Savoyard resort is about to lose 30% of its usual turnover during the end of year celebrations.
Read also: Fault in skiing, five Savoy wines to discover in the resorts of the Alps this winter
“We are already focused on diversification and we are playing the card of the small, typical charming resort. So the people who come will have, I'm sure, a very good time. Still, the losses linked to the sales of ski passes will never be compensated ”,
testifies Damien Grange, director of the tourist office.
A feeling of injustice reinforced by the fact that here 80% of the customers come for the day.
"We do not have this festive clientele who go out in the evening, and we would therefore have been totally able to enforce barrier gestures and distance", he
explains, keeping the hope that the weekends of January will nevertheless be saved by this local clientele.
Snowshoe hike in the Hautes Vallées de l'Oisans,
at the foot of the wild giants of the Hautes-Alpes, including the Izoard
.
Michel Ducroux
It is in territories that are already very nature oriented that, logically, we tremble the least.
In the Hautes-Vallées de l'Oisans, between Isère and Hautes-Alpes, even if the Grave-La Meije cable car (3,200 m above sea level) will be strongly impacted, the destination whose slogan is “Allure Nature”, had already intends to make people want to enjoy the mountain differently.
After a summer with + 15% attendance, professionals remain optimistic.
"Our positioning means that it will certainly be less worse here, we feel comforted in this choice and hope to welcome again the many tourists who came this summer,"
comments Élodie Lefebvre, director of the tourist office
.
We can't wait to show them the winter beauty of our unspoiled mountain ”.