The “Contrat de Destination”, a tool for Territories Marie-Laure DESMET, Sous Directeur Territoires et Destinations touristiques Direction Ingénierie et Développement, ATOUT France 2ème Forum des Mobilités interrégionales : Visions, Stratégies et Solutions territoriales pour diminuer l'empreinte carbone Forum organisé pour le compte du programme CLIMATLANTIC, un projet européen cofinancé avec l’appui de l’Union européenne FEDER – Programme Espace Atlantique. L’objectif du programme www.climatlanticproject.eu est de bâtir à fin mai 2014 une stratégie CLIMAT spécifique à l’Arc Atlantique. Le Forum de La Rochelle est le 1er d’un cycle de 4 conférences spécialisées.

1. Marie-Laure Desmet
2nd Forum of interregional mobility – 20 & 21 February 2014

2. Destination Contracts- an innovative
tool for the development of French
tourism destinations

3. AN AGENCY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF
FRENCH TOURISM
Atout France, GIE (groups of economic
interest) involving 1150 public and private
stakeholders in tourism, is responsible for
contributing to the development of the
tourism industry, the biggest economic
sector in France.
→ To promote France as a destination via the
marketing of its brand and the value of its
destinations and sectors (35 offices worldwide)
→ To increase the quality, attractiveness and
sustainability of tenders
→ To push the investment projects to stimulate
innovation and entrepreneurship

4. DESTINATION FRANCE - BACKGROUND
The most popular tourist destination in the
world (83 million international visitors in
2012), but

Increasing competition abroad (8%
PDM<market share in 2012> vs 10.6 % in
1980)


3rd in the world for tourist spending
France offers a rich and varied
destination, but with a complex and
fragmented supply as tourism competence
is shared between different levels of
government

4

A key challenge
To consolidate
existing
destinations and to
help a new scale of
relevant territories
emerge around
strong brands


5. THE CONCEPT OF DESTINATION-REMINDER
Market
expectations
Strategy/soft
Accommodation
Marketing strategy
(brand, observation
position, distribution,
figures..)
Development
strategies
Access / transport
Natural and cultural
heritage
Quality
Facilities, activities,
services...
Observation
Events structuring
Training
Destination Management
Tourism
strategies
Territory /hard

6. DESTINATION CONTRACTS-PRINCIPLES
A concrete and operational response to
the need to act together to achieve a
common goal of development, around a
shared, coordinated and mutual strategy,
bringing together the key players in a
destination beyond the usual boundries.
This collective approach is at the heart of
Minister Sylvia Pinel's politics, which
combines DGCIS and Atout France to
assist in structuring some of these
contracts, supporting major themes and
value internationally.
6
Destination contract
≠ Tourism
development
scheme
3 signed contracts
– around forty
currently being
considered

7. DESTINATION CONTRACTS – ELIGIBILITY
CONDITIONS
 A relevant territory
 An innovative project that brings added value
to the usual tools
 An action plan that addresses both supply, and
promotion, as well as cross-cutting activities
such as reception, training and/or economic
intelligence
 Public and private signatories involving all
elements of the chain of relvevant service to the
specific theme
 Objectives to gain international clientele
7
EVERY
CONTRACT
IS UNIQUE
Various
themes :
business
tourism,
gentle
roaming,
memorial
tourism…

8. DESTINATION CONTRACTS –OPERATING
PRINCIPLES
A long -term commitment (3-5 years) with
annualized action plans and associated with
mobilization of resources
Commitments taking into account the areas
of competence of each and their
complementary
 Collaborative work, organized
management
 Resources to match ambitions
8
DRAFT
MODE AS
PRINCIPLE

9. DESTINATION CONTRACTS – PLACE OF
MOBILITY
Key players in the tourism services chain (access and/or
mobility to destination)
Most often associated in destination contracts but more or less
involved depending on the central themes
Commitments that must produce the reciprocal value for the
partnership to be attractive (win/win)
9

10. DESTINATION CONTRACTS- SOME EXAMPLES
Destination contract for the West
of France (regions of Bretagne,
Normandie, Pays de la Loire)
 An objective to regain the British market
 3 components : a major marketing campaign in the UK market, working on
reception, a joint effort to gain economic intelligence
 Brittany Ferries : an active player
Participation in the financing of the communication campaign and its relay
Participation in the promotion of destinations (conferences on boats…)
Participation in economic intelligence groups (sharing data)
… and in return : a strong and enriched visibility
10

11. DESTINATION CONTRACTS- SOME EXAMPLES
Destination contract for Tarn and
Garonne
 A development objective concerning travelers from major European routes, on
foot (chemin de Compostelle), by bicycle (Canal des deux mers and vallée de
l’Aveyron) or by boat (Canal des deux mers)
 Several components : the structuring of routes, development of heritage sites,
restaurants and shops close to these routes (economic benefits), international
promotion, economic intelligence
 Three mobility players associated with this contract : France vélo tourism (French
cycling tourism), SNCF, VNF
11

12. DESTINATION CONTRACTS- SOME EXAMPLES
French cycling
tourism
-Help the deployment of the brand
Accueil vélo (welcome bike)
- Assistance in setting up and running
the route committee « canal des deux
mers »(two seas canal)..
SNCF
Objective to create products « one-way » train +
bicycle
VNF
- Partenariat en matière de
valorisation de patrimoine
- Observation
-…
12

13. CONCLUSIONS
Improve
occupancy rates
Contribuer au
DEVELOPPEMENT équilibré
et durable de la destination
Increase the
quality of tourists
experience
Contribuer au
(space + time)
Reduce the use of
cars/ facilitate
access and
visibility
DEVELOPPEMENT
Distribution of
tourist flows
équilibré et durable de
Strengthening the sustainable la
destination
dimension/facilitation access
Enhancing the attractiveness
of the destination
In the end, a partnership framework that allows to pragmatically
combine 'transport' partners around projects that can meet the
challenges facing the destination tourism side of mobility and
efficiency on the transport side