PARCOURS 1

P1 - TOURING AND OUTDOOR RECRATIONAL SPORTS ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE

Issue :
Can touring be a new major approach to promote outdoor recreational sports accessible to everyone?

Expert : Laurent Savignac, project chief for leisure transportation, Tourist Department of Regional Council of Centre.

Tuesday May 4, 2010 – 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Workshop 1  – Can touring be a means to promote territories and outdoor sports recreation?
Animator :  Yves Lespérat, administrator, French Federation for Walking Tours (FFRP)

Bicycle Touring: cycling in Loire
The project, La Loire à Vélo (cycling in Loire) was created in 1995.  It is registered as a European bicycling tour in Eurovélo 6 that includes 3650 kilometers of paved path reserved for cyclists between the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea.  Once completed, the bicycle route La Loire à Vélo, will be the longest bicycle path in France, and soon become an international reference for tourists.  The bike route is composed of three sections from Cuffy in the Cher to Saint Brévin les Pins in Loire – Atlantic developing 800 kilometers of bicycle paths with 250 kilometers in Pays de la Loire. The route is partly composed of paths reserved exclusively for bikes and other sections shared with other non-motorized vehicles.   The regions Centre and Pays de la Loire share the ownership of the brand La Loire à Vélo, a reference in Europe.    The communication and promotion are carried out through internet on www.loire-a-velo.fr.  The path is referenced in guides among bicycle renters and lodgings guides. 
Touring cyclists represent actually 33% of the bicycle path users in the summer and 15% throughout the year, but they represent 63% of the expenses.  More than half of the cyclists are over 50 years old and the under 30 age bracket represent only 11%.  The clientele is mostly composed of executives or retired persons. 
www.loire-a-velo.fr

Backpacking, what realities, what values ?
For 30 years now, the Merlet Association, installed in the Cevennes, organizes vacation holidays and professional training camps incorporating backpacking and canoeing as an educative tool to instruct professionals. 
www.edu-envir.org/~lemerlet/

The Ardechoise, an example of developing a permanent tourist product from a popular sporting event
Developed in the beginning as a local bicycle race around St Felician, the Ardechoise has become a large popular event that today is a four day event, taking advantage of a dynamic territory.  More than for its economic impact with 15000 participants, the interest of the event lies in its ability to summon up year long 5000 helpers in a rural area. 
Beginning in 2003, the idea to create a permanent route, supported by those used in the race will become operational in 2011.  “L’Ardechoise Permanent” aims to offer during spring, summer, and fall some or all of its benefits.

WEDNESDAY MAY 5, 2010 – 9:00 AM TO 12:00
WORKSHOP 2 – What conditions to create a quality tour ?
Animator : Jean-Paul Charlot, Director of Sports for the Mayor’s Office of Istres and representing the association Sport and Territory

“Rando Acceuil” a proposition of trekking and natural discoveries organized with qualified accommodators.
Rando Acceuil is a known brand among clienteles that group together diverse types of accommodations, propose different types of treks, and natural discoveries throughout a holiday tour or a holiday stay.  This regroupment is of utility for territories to develop a network for the tourism vector, active leisure, and discovering cultural heritage. It works towards valorizing trekking itineraries, bicycling paths, greenbelts, theme routes…
http://www.rando-accueil.com/ 

The grand voyage across Jura on horseback: how to create a tour for equestrians.
Equestrian activities represent a popularity that helps local authorities promote sustainable development and tourism. 
The project “Grand Voyage across Jura on Horseback” is encouraged and financed by the Commissariat of Development of Jura/ DATAR, carried through by the Regional Committee of Equestrian Tourism in Franche Comté with the help of the Grande Traverse of Jura Association.  The project allows to develop methods aiming to create a tour product for equestrians.  It was helped by professional consultants and counseled by the French Horse Institute, a counseling engineer and lobbyist for professionalism in the horse industry.

The creation of a network of multi-activity tours and its promotion:  Greenbelts in Brittany
Presentation to come