FUNDS FOR ACTION

• The “Avenir Montagnes” fund has been allocated €331 million. This includes a €300 million component co-financed by the Alpine regions to support investments in line with the plan’s priorities, and a €31 million component to support regional reengineering that requires funding to pursue this type of local investment. More than 670 projects have already been supported in line with three objectives: encouraging diversification of the regional offering and appealing to new customer demographics; accelerating the green transition within Alpine tourism activities; and rejuvenating the leisure property market while halting the rise of “empty beds.”

• As part of the signing of the 2021-2027 Interregional Convention for the Alps (CIMA), the government, the Sud and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions and the RhôneMéditerranée-Corse Water Agency agreed to mobilise more than 250 million euros for mountainous areas. Some 77 million euros were provided by the Avenir Montagnes investment fund launched in 2021 and 2022. A further 173 million euros will be provided until 2027 based on four themed objectives focused on protecting the environment and transitioning towards a more resilient Alpine region.

• The Destination France plan provides the ADEME with additional financial resources to carry out “direct” actions across a part of the sector. The ADEME is piloting four of the plan’s measures with a budget of more than €30 million over the 2023-2024 period: accommodation and restaurants, emerging forms of tourism, bike tourism, and carbon footprints.

During the Tourism Transition General Assembly, Fabrice Pannekoucke, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourism Board, highlighted that the term “Benevolent Tourism” (www.tourismebienveillant.org) chosen by the region signalled its commitment to avoid a clash between the economy and sustainable tourism. He reminded those in attendance that “economic activity remains essential so long as it serves jobs and local life.” There are many pro-environment initiatives. They are certainly not as rapid or spectacular as some would like, but they are being encouraged, highlighted, measured and followed up. It is down to each “benevolent tourist” to do their part.

• The European Ecolabel is a tool for eco-designing services and promoting the commitments taken by tourist accommodation providers. The ADEME is responsible for rolling out and promoting the European Ecolabel in France, particularly through specifically allocated funding. Granted to tourist accommodation providers, this certification guarantees ecological excellence and a low environmental impact throughout the service lifecycle, in areas such as water and energy consumption, waste production, and the use of renewable energy. It is a valuable tool for guiding professionals, but also a quality guarantee for tourists, who are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their holidays.

• Launched in 2015 by Mountain Riders, a group known for its waste collection initiatives in ski areas, Flocon Vert certification promotes tourist destinations with ambitious sustainable development polices. Resorts are assessed according to 20 criteria based on governance, the local economy, social and cultural dynamics, and sustainable resource management. “With 20 destinations now certified, our aim is to actively reach out to visitors, tourists and other service users, and invite them to follow the Flocon Vert’s example. This will contribute to changing behaviours and moving towards more conscious and responsible tourism.”

Interview by Marie-France Sarrazin

Laurent Wauquiez, PRESIDENT OF THE AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES REGION

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region has made the mountains its priority, rolling out two aid schemes – the Mountain Plan 2 and the Tourism Plan – to support it in its energy and economic transitions.

What are the results of your Plan Montagne 2, which received €100 million in funding? Can you describe the first projects selected and why they were chosen?

“In the years to come, particularly against the backdrop of global warming, the major challenge for our resorts will be to diversify tourism. That is the objective of this second Mountain Plan, which aims to make AuvergneRhône-Alpes the first sustainable mountain range in Europe. Skiing remains a powerful asset for drawing people to our region, and this is why securing snow coverage is still a major focus of our mission. However, we also need to install new facilities, which will enable our resorts to extend seasonal activities and therefore strengthen the tourist offering. Among the first projects we supported, we invested in a large rail sled in La Norma in Savoie, we launched the XXL zipline in

Chamrousse which, at 1900 metres, will be the longest of its kind in France, and invested in a range of winter sports facilities to be used all year round in the Planards resort in Chamonix. As for the selection criteria, we have a working method based on close ties with players in the field. They are best placed to know which projects are most useful and beneficial for their areas. We are also focused on the environmental impact of different developments, and we are ensuring they are fully integrated into the local mountain landscapes.”

Alongside this first plan, you also launched a regional Plan Tourisme 2022-2028 whose objectives included accelerating the mountain tourism transition. What is the framework of this new plan, what are its areas of action, and does it not clash with the Plan Montagne 2?

“Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is home to the world’s largest ski area, which naturally makes the mountains one of the major tourist assets for our region. As such, devoting a specific plan to them was an obvious and legitimate decision. However, it is far from the only one. We are also the leading French region for outdoor activities and gastronomy. In all sectors, transition and diversification are major challenges to be met if we want to maintain the draw of our region. This is the objective of our Tourism Plan, which represents €300 million that will be invested across six local sectors of excellence: the mountains, of course, as well as outdoor activities, regional exploration, thermal facilities, gastronomy and wine tourism. We are also supporting independent hotels and holiday centres, while contributing to the renovation of professional accommodation. Through this plan, we are keen to encourage the development of local tourism to showcase our traditions and history. It does not clash with the Mountain Plan. In fact, they both work very well together!”

As part of the year-round diversification of resorts, which is a central pillar of the Plan Montagne 2, what role can innovation play?

Innovation is certainly a core part of our work. By providing new facilities and new experiences, our resorts will stand out and attract new customers. Just look at the rise in the use of electric bicycles in recent years, which has led to a boom in the numbers of summer visitors. The resort of Les Gets is one leading example, and has become a European success story in this sector. Innovation also enables us to limit the environmental impact of our facilities by considering how we can use them all-year-round, building them with new materials, and taking the physical constraints of the sites into account. These are just a few examples that illustrate what we want to do in our region – rising to environmental challenges, not through degrowth, as some extremists have suggested, but through innovation, investment and working with companies and players in our region.”

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You are making great strides in reducing your environmental footprint. Even though the season is not over, can you provide us with an environmental overview of this winter?

I don’t have the definitive figures but already our decision to no longer use fossil fuels in any of our ski areas will enable us to reduce our CO2 emissions by around 70% for Scopes 1 and 2 (exact figures to be confirmed at the end of the season). For us this is paramount. I would also add that in the ski areas for which we are not in charge of slope grooming, (Tignes, Val d’Isère and Les Menuires) we have borne the additional cost of HVO (bio-fuel). Our 8 ski areas are the only ones in France to no longer use fossil fuels for grooming slopes.

As regards the Travelski Express (trains chartered from London), we don’t have the figures as of yet because the scheme will continue to run until April, but occupancy rates have been very encouraging. We hope to be able to extend the scheme. Moreover, this year we have added trains from Paris to Bourg-SaintMaurice and Modane.

As a major player in the mountains, do you feel that you should serve as an example for the entire sector?

We do all we can to move in the right direction. If others wish to follow us, then they are free to do so. We have a goal, it is announced and checked each year. We are dedicated to our ski areas, in close collaboration with the resorts’ elected representatives. We work together and do so with real conviction and determination. The environment is a serious matter that we must address, and we are doing so like any other company, far removed from opinions, with order and method, discipline and on a long-term basis. The stakes are very high because by 2030 we are going to invest more than 50 million euros just to reach net-zero carbon. We are so committed, for ourselves, for our clients and for the elected representatives and inhabitants of the towns and resorts, that we have allocated exceptional means.

You are aiming for Net-Zero Carbon Scope 1 and 2 by 2030. What are your ambitions for Scope 3?

We want things to be clear-cut and scientific. That is why we are having our Scope 3 calculated in tonnes of CO2 for all our sites by 2024. In the meantime, we are taking action, particularly thanks to trains. We are getting regional companies on board and people who are committed to an approach in line with the Paris Agreements. We no longer offer technical assistance for schemes in ski resorts or ‘Snow Dome’ type activities if there is not enough natural snow. There are other issues on which we are working; Scope 3 is an area in which we are going to make significant strides. We are not offsetting but rather making real reductions, and as for residual emissions, we neutralise them locally through planting. We have signed the largest agreement ever concluded in France with the NFO to carry out this project.

Does the group wish to include recent acquisitions as part of this virtuous path, or to turn them into allies?

We took over MMV at the end of last year. Of course, they will also achieve zero carbon seeing as they are part of the group. For Scopes 1 and 2, this is mandatory for being part of the Compagnie des Alpes. We do not have any ambition in mountain restaurants, ski shops and ski schools, as other operators already do this very well. However, wherever there is a need for additional accommodation, we will get involved, particularly by renovating thermal sieves from the last century, where there is a great amount of work to be done. The trend is to move towards renovation. It is mainly for this reason that we purchased MMV, with their skills and know-how, to be part of the renovation of these thermal sieves. We need to turn these studios and one-bedroom apartments into products which are attractive in both summer and winter alike. We need renovations which offer basic services and activities for visitors. With this in mind, we acquired Evolution2 – the reference operator for outdoor activities, particularly in summer. This acquisition enables us to enrich and enhance the attractivity of the mountains in summer, consistent with the required diversification.