They want to avoid a white season.
Elected officials, deputies, regional presidents such as Jeanine Dubié, deputy for Hautes-Pyrénées and president of ANEM (Association Nationale des Élus de la Montagne), and around fifteen organizations and companies such as the Ski Areas of France (DSF), Compagnie des Alpes, Club Méditerranée or Pierre et Vacances wanted to keep the pressure on the government by asking for the opening of mountain resorts during the end of year celebrations.
A pressure that comes when Emmanuel Macron judged Tuesday a priori "impossible" to open the stations for the end of the year.
However, Jean Castex has confirmed that the ski lifts will remain closed, even if the stations can open.
The Prime Minister justified the closure of public facilities and ski lifts in the stations can be explained by the risk of causing additional overload in hospitals.
However, he assured that people could go to the stations "to breathe the fresh air of our mountains".
In addition, allowances will be provided for professionals and employees.
"No credible reason not to open"
But for professionals and elected officials, the answer is not satisfactory.
"There is no credible reason not to open" from the Christmas holidays.
“All the stakeholders have prepared for the opening, the stations are ready and the teams are hired.
Professionals have taken the utmost account of the health crisis we are going through, first of all out of civility but also because it is their well understood interest to offer visitors an environment that reassures them ”, they assure in this forum under the hashtag #CET HIVER, JE SKIE!
They say they understand “that given the context, opening decisions cannot yet be taken and in this regard the development of the next few weeks will be decisive, we must not rush.
A decision in mid-December would still allow the season to start in good conditions.
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120,000 people work in the sector
They also recall that after their meeting with the Prime Minister had indicated that no decision would be taken for at least 5 or 10 days and claim not to understand the recent announcements.
“Regarding the risk of additional saturation of hospitals likely to be generated by ski accidents, it must be given priority attention”, but “the vast majority of injured are treated on an outpatient basis” and “ it is extremely rare that resuscitation services are called upon ”.
But above all, according to them, there is "a major economic and social stake for a sector which represents more than 11 billion euros of annual turnover, 2 billion euros of exports" and which "sustains a a network of local businesses, which employs more than 120,000 people in areas where the local economy is often based mainly on this sector.
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However, "the Christmas holidays represent between 20% and 25% of revenues", at the end of a year 2020 which should be marked by "a fall of at least 30% in attendance, due in particular to the decline in customers. foreign.
"
To try again to bend the government, the professionals promise "complete and new health protocols" and "to acquire a significant capacity of tests.
"