In Sedan, Aurore Iwanciw impatiently awaits the government's announcements, scheduled for May 25, concerning the reopening of cafes and restaurants in the “red” zone, in which the Ardennes department is located. His colleagues in the green zones already have a horizon, set for June 2. Not her. The director of the Le Château Fort hotel would like to welcome customers again from July in her 4-star establishment and its two restaurants. " But I will not reopen my 52 rooms without a minimum catering capacity, which complicates the measurement of 4 square meters of distance ", She warns. With the fears inherited from the Covid-19 epidemic, it counts on the great outdoors, first among which the Ardenne forest, to attract during the summer holidays an individual and family clientele, which would compensate for the decline in tourism business.
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In this rural department, the actors of tourism have the feeling of suffering a double penalty. According to a study by the Regional Tourism Observatory, the health crisis caused them to lose 60% of their turnover. Four out of ten establishments even mention a risk of bankruptcy. At the same time, the Ardennes recorded, with a total of 50 deaths, the lowest mortality rate in the whole of the Grand Est. However, the territory remains in “red” , due to low capacities in intensive care beds.
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A destination on a human scale
Elected officials relayed these concerns. The deputy Jean-Luc Warsmann (UDI) sent a letter on May 14 to the Secretary of State for Tourism Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. The elected member of the Ardennes asked for " the use of a new criterion allowing the few departments least affected in the red zone to experience the reopening of bars and restaurants from June 2, as in the green zone." The criterion could be the number of hospitalizations per 1,000 inhabitants. "
Château-fort de Sedan (in video above), Trans-Ardennes greenway or Rimbaud-Verlaine road, the department is counting on tourism in particular to revive an economy still stigmatized by deindustrialisation. With 500,000 overnight stays in 2019 (hotels, tourist accommodation and guesthouses), "the Ardennes have assets to assert in the face of emerging expectations in terms of ecotourism, a human-sized destination and authentic holidays ", assures David Lamare, the director of the departmental tourism committee. The tourist offices and local authorities have already put themselves in battle order to list on the ardennes.com site all the accommodation offers that can be booked online.
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Border tourism is also lacking
The health situation has improved significantly in the Haut-Rhin, a very tourist department, with 6 million overnight stays per year. INFRA-ADT
Conversely, the Haut-Rhin and its capital, Mulhouse, have paid a heavy price for the pandemic, with 753 deaths to date. However, the health situation has clearly improved. In this context, the classification in "red" of this very touristy department (6 million nights) with Colmar, the Alsace Wine Route ... is considered stigmatizing by professionals in the sector. “ Suggest the reopening of bars and restaurants on June 2 in the green zone and on June 15 or even July 1 in the red zone, you can imagine the signal sent to customers! ", Carried away Christophe Bergamini, the director of the Kaysersberg Valley tourist office. The information center, located in the heart of the Alsatian vineyard, however, recorded a 60% increase in the number of unique visitors to its website on May 15, the day after the green light from the Prime Minister for the summer holidays.
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To reassure French customers, the regional tourism agency Destination Alsace wishes to capitalize on the image of the territory. " The friends of Alsace recognize in the region a reputation for rigor and quality of care likely to establish a climate of confidence in the current health situation ", delivers to the Figaro its director Marc Lévy. Will this reputation later favor the reappearance of border customers, very present in Alsace? The Haut-Rhin department council is already campaigning to speed up the lifting of border restrictions with neighboring Baden-Württemberg and the Swiss cantons.
In Orbey, in Les Ecrins guesthouses, foreign tourists account for almost half of the reservations. Pending their return to Alsace, Sébastien Salomon, the manager of the establishment, is active on social networks to attract local customers. "The reservations are made rather at the last minute, but they allowed us to reopen at 50% from the Ascension weekend , " he observes. In order to accelerate the movement, the regional players are therefore working on a “rebound” communication strategy , more oriented towards short stays and presenting the region “in a new light” .
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