Ecotourism and green living in France is constantly evolving – our regular column brings you the latest tourism news and developments. In this edition, we look at new partnerships, artificial coral reefs and 419 clean beaches.
Green thinking in common
Two major French tourism organizations have signed an agreement which ultimately aims to improve sustainable travel and vacations in France by helping and educating the country’s tourism professionals – and therefore for the benefit of tourists.
A treaty between ADN Tourisme, which was formed in 2020 as a new autonomous organization of three professional tourism federations, and ATD (Acteurs du Tourisme Durable), the sustainable tourism body, will allow both parties to ” commit to pooling and strengthening their actions”. in terms of raising awareness and informing their members and tourism stakeholders”, indicates a joint press release, “in order to collectively and responsibly face the economic, environmental and social challenges facing the sector”.
One of its first missions is to define and explain the multiplicity of labels, brands and certifications that have emerged in the French sustainable tourism industry. To this end, they have already co-published a guide to the labeling process for all professionals in the sector, explaining how these can be obtained as well as the organizational steps necessary for candidate structures to obtain them.
University cooling
In order to combat the effects of global warming and heat waves (heat wave) outside school periods – as we saw in June – the Parisian suburb of Nanterre should spend €750,000 by 2026 to “green” its playgrounds. The measures will improve CO2 storage, temperature cooling and air quality, not to mention pupils’ mood and concentration.
A new initiative aims to protect wild animals from harvesting machines © Shutterstock
Robotic cleaning
For the past year, the port of Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes) has been equipped with two robots – moored at strategic points – which suck up unwanted rubbish floating around them. Each month, nearly two cubic meters of waste is collected from the water, 90% of which comes from the shore.
BNB TLC
30 historic buildings in France, including the Chateau de Purnon in Verrue, Vienne, have been announced as winners of a share of Airbnb’s €5.6 million Heritage and Local Tourism program, in partnership with the Association des rural mayors of France. The online booking portal recently added “Heritage” as a search category on its website.
Focus fawn
Drones are being used by watchful farmers in Bas-Rhin, Alsace, to check on fawns during the summer harvest, reports Francetvinfo.fr. Animals, unaware of the danger, can fall victim to machines harvesting tall, dense grass. The farmers called on local hunting groups, trained in the use of thermal cameras mounted on the drones.
The Hotel & Spa du Gorges du Verdun has a breathtaking view © Hotel & Spa du Gorges du Verdun
Rooms with a view
Green is like green, and the 4* Hotel & Spa des Gorges du Verdun in La Palud-sur-Verdon (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), ticks both boxes in style. It boasts a spellbinding location 938m above the verdant glory of the Gorges du Verdon – Europe’s largest canyon, above the Verdon – as well as decent eco-credentials for those wishing to combine respect for the environment. French-style luxury environment and stay.
The hotel has various “green” labels – including European Ecolabel, Green Key and Natural Hotels – and is committed to measures such as the maximum use of renewable energies, the reduction of water consumption, the maximum use of nature-friendly cleaning products, increasing recycled waste and favoring local, organic and eco-responsible suppliers. So many assets that come on top of the finest finery: 30 beautiful guest rooms, a Spa Cinq Mondes, the superb table of chef François Bargoing. In addition to this view of the terrace, fainting…
www.hotel-des-gorges-du-verdon.fr/fr
Diving diversion
A huge artificial coral reef will be placed on the seabed off Cap d’Agde (Hérault). The 108-ton structure, measuring 6.5m high and 8m in circumference, is the world’s largest artificial reef project dedicated to diving. It took three years for Seaboost of Montpellier – a company dedicated to increasing marine biodiversity – to build it. It was designed in order to preserve the most delicate natural diving areas in the region.
Donville-les-Bains © Shutterstock
Change for the better: clean beaches for 2022
This summer, 419 beaches and 117 marinas received the Blue Flag label for water quality and cleanliness. Here we select four of the 27 beaches that joined the list this year.
Donville les Bains
Located near Granville, the childhood home of Christian Dior, Lude beach in Donville-les-Bains (Manche) is one of the most beautiful in Normandy, ideal for families, it is supervised in summer and offers great sunsets. donvillelesbains.fr
Le Pradet
Well suited to families and accessible by a single sloping path, Plage du Pin de Galle in Le Pradet in the Var is a pretty beach of small pebbles in an exceptional and protected natural environment. Free parking nearby. lepradet-tourisme.fr
Garden on the sea
Boisvinet Beach in Jard-sur-Mer, in Vendée, is located near the port and extends to Saint-Vincent-sur-Jard. The only supervised beach in the resort, it welcomes people with reduced mobility. destinationvendeegrandlittoral.com
Hermeline space
Unusually, this ‘beach’ is actually inland – in a leisure park 40km south of Limoges in Bussière-Galant, Haute-Vienne, to be precise. Bathers can practice various water sports before relaxing on the grass or on the sand. space-hermeline.com
Excerpt from France Today magazine
Main photo credit: Boisvinet beach © Vendée Tourism
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