Gironde: tourism falls by around 50% due to summer megafires

Tourism in Gironde recorded, over one year, a drop of around 50% in its attendance between the start of the megafire which covered 42,000 hectares and mid-August, the chamber of commerce and industry and the department's Medef told AFP on Monday, confirming information from franceinfo.

“Over the first two weeks of the fires – which started on July 22, editor’s note – the drop was much more marked,” said the president of Medef Gironde, Mathias Saura. However, he noted “almost a return to normal” in recent days, with a decline in attendance now limited to 3% to 5%.

These losses in attendance weigh heavily on the local economy, with the tourism sector representing “between 7 and 10% of GDP” in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the president of the departmental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Patrick Seguin, told AFP. Massive cancellations of stays multiplied at the end of July from the start of the megafire in the north of the Arcachon basin, the largest fire recorded in France since 1949. At the height of the crisis, the prefect Sophie Brocas had “strongly” encouraged vacationers to leave the area or postpone their arrival until the blazes were under control, a message which had marked tourism professionals.

The air “complies with standards”

To try to save the late season, the regional tourism committee launched a communication campaign at the beginning of August, arguing that “the Gironde is a welcoming destination” and that the air “complies with standards”. He recalls that tourism supports “nearly 40,000” people in the region and generates “3.8 billion euros in economic benefits”.