In the face of the summer tourist influx that overwhelms the French coastline, there are little-known destinations where sustainable tourism is no longer a vague concept, but a tangible reality. Exploring these hidden nuggets means redefining travel in France, in search of calm, nature and genuine cultural discoveries.
Times five, even times 25. This is the vertiginous multiplication that takes place in certain communes of the Var and Alpes-Maritimes during the summer vacations. Despite its undeniable charm, the French coastline is overflowing with tourists from April to September. In the French collective imagination, summer always takes place in the same spots, to the point of disgust: the Calanques to the sound of cicadas, the melancholy beaches of Normandy, the Promenade des Anglais under the blinding sun of Nice. Indeed, with 100 million international visitors by 2023, France remains the world's leading tourist destination. Yet, according to the French government, 80% of French tourism is concentrated in 20% of the country.
Paradoxically, the antiphon of sustainable tourism vibrates in every government speech. On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal made public the Charter of Commitments drawn up for the 2024 Olympic Games, although it's not yet clear what it will look like in concrete terms.
In reality, sustainable tourism is here, right in front of our eyes. It does exist, but out of sight. It is embodied in the names of little-known regions, often the targets of hackneyed prejudices. The Morvan, the Creuse, the Sioule Gorges, the Plateau des 1000 étangs, the Côte d'Opale... How many of us know these secret nuggets, where sustainable tourism is not just an empty concept, but a way of life? How many of us, at the mere mention of them, respond "ah, but it's a godforsaken hole! There's nothing to do!"
Yet it is here, in these underrated regions, that we can experience travel in its purest essence: that of "the escape from tourism: preferring the path to the destination, and "disappearing" rather than appearing everywhere, to use the words of writer and sociologist Rodolphe Christin, in his book "Manuel de l'anti-tourisme".
In contrast to the emptiness we imagine, Creuse is an extremely lively territory, vibrant with village festivals and festivities. In contrast to the harshness that is often attributed to it, the Morvan radiates life, with its hilly, sun-drenched trails. The Côte d'Opale is worth a visit for its architectural heritage, its history and, at the very least, its distinctive light. As for the Plateau des 1000 Étangs in Franche-Comté, which is hardly ever heard of, it has nothing to envy Finland, from which it borrows its colors and mysterious atmosphere.
Far from the crowds and noise, travelers can finally find a place to recharge their batteries, refocus and reconnect with what's essential.
Redefining travel through these secret destinations in France means giving substance to the still very vague idea of "sustainable tourism". Time slowed down, nature everywhere, authentic experiences, far from artifice and convention.
By Benoit Prigent, co-founder of Lokki and CEO of Lokki & Guillaume Jouffre, co-founder and CEO of GreenGo
