Atout France SMARTguide

THEME HOLIDAYS / ECOTOURISM
Ecotourism
Far from the madding crowd, an
increasing number of international
tourists are seeking an authentic,
responsible holiday, bringing them
closer to nature. They are looking
for alternate means of transport,
and are happy to take their time to
discover the diversity of France’s
regions and to meet and mingle with
the locals.
USPs
• Diversity of France’s countryside,
adding to the quality and
importance of ecotourism circuits;
• 80% of France remains rural: a
veritable natural asset;
• Numerous forms of tourism
are centred on “soft” itineraries
(cycling, hiking or on horseback),
privileging accommodation in close
proximity with the nature and local
populations.
KEY FIGURES
More than
10,000 km
of cycle-ways and green-ways
(up to 21,000 km of itineraries
by 2020).
65,000 km of
long-distance
hiking trails
and 115,000 km of walking
and hiking tracks.
2,500
establishments and
associations catering for equestrian
tourism and 350 centres officially
recognised by the French Equestrian
Federation.
© P.Forget - CRT Centre-Val de Loire
10 NATIONAL PARKS
Recognised on an international level
as of territories of exception, France’s
national parks embody excellence in the
preservation of biodiversity. They offer a
combination of outstanding land and sea
areas and constitute spaces that bring
together exceptional natural, cultural
and landscape heritage.
The Mercantour national park owes
the diversity of its landscapes and the
richness of its natural and cultural
heritage to its unique geographic
location, at the crossroads of the Ligurian
influences: alpine, Mediterranean and
Provencal. The territory of the national
park, which runs from its landlocked
valleys to the metropolis of Nice, boasts
nearly 8,200 living species.
Blois
“Loire à Vélo” is a unique, already muchtravelled
itinerary. Highly accessible and
easy to ride, it alternates between quiet
roads, green ways, no-thoroughfare
lanes, cycle tracks and paths that overall
include 300 stopping places for cycle
tourists. Loire à Vélo takes the rider
through the Loire Valley (included on
the World Heritage Listing as a living
cultural landscape), a harmonious
alliance between mankind and nature. The
châteaux, towns and villages, the river and
its culture, winegrowing and gastronomy
all fit perfectly into this magnificent
landscape.
National parks (la Vanoise, Port-Cros,
the Pyrénées, the Cévennes, the Ecrins,
the Mercantour, Guadeloupe, Reunion
Island, Guyana and the Calanques) cover
varied land and sea areas and represent
almost 9.5% of French territory (60,728
km²). Every year, they attract more than
8.5 million visitors.
Parc national du Mercantour
“LOIRE À VÉLO”:
A 800KM
FREEWHEELING
CRUISE
BIVOUACKING
IN CYCLING SHELTERS
On the “Loire à Vélo” cycling trail, 12
campsites offer cyclists the chance to stay
over for a night in an amazing hut on stilts
with breakfast included!
This simple and cheap form of
accommodation, made of sustainable
materials (wood and canvas), provides the
basic needs of travelling cyclists with a
comfortable sleeping space.
© Nico4nicolas
12 France: Destinations to (re)discover france.fr