Chamrousse, becoming sustainable tourist destination
Presentation
Mountain sustainable tourism destination
Who is it for? All Chamrousse resort: holiday-makers, inhabitants, socio-professionals, secondary residents, Tourist Office, Town Hall, Ski School, etc.What? Sustainable tourism approach: it can be adopted by any tourism stakeholder by integrating the principles of sustainable development into its strategic management and/or the offer it provides. Sustainable tourism is also the responsibility of individual travellers: in their behaviour, daily actions and choice of service providers and/or destinations according to sustainability criteria.
Where? In Chamrousse, a mountain resort near Grenoble, capital of the Alps and a pioneer in the field of sustainable development.
How? The resort's sustainable tourism development strategy is also consistent with the Region's strategy on "caring tourism" through Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Tourisme and its platform listing responsible and caring tourism offers.
Why is this? The aim is to take a new look at our territory, to highlight the committed tourist offers, to promote local initiatives and know-how and to encourage sustainable and responsible tourism.
Chamrousse is therefore a sustainable mountain tourism destination in the making!
Chamrousse's strategy in a few words
Based on the study carried out in Chamrousse during the winter of 2021 by the consultancy Switch with Armelle Solelhac and implemented through a participative approach within the resort via thematic workshops, for a step-by-step implementation over the long term (3 to 5 years).- Key message: Chamrousse, from the cradle of French skiing in 1878 to the spotlight of mountain tourism in the 21st century, is nearly 150 years of history and stories of initiation to the art of mountain living!
- Vision: the mountain resort of tomorrow will be a place where people learn to live in harmony with their natural, social, cultural and economic environment
- Reason to believe: for more than 70 years the Chamroussiens have been passing on the pleasures of the mountains to generations of enthusiasts in search of well-being and sensations!
This strategy of sustainable tourism development in Chamrousse is also in line with the resort's labels, in particular Flocon Vert, as an initiation of the approach, but also Famille Plus and Qualité Tourisme for the Tourist Office.
Sustainable tourism development
Definition: sustainable tourism is defined by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) as "tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, by meeting the needs of visitors, professionals, the environment and host communities". It aims at balancing the pillars of sustainable development in the production and implementation of tourism activities.Pillars of sustainable development :
The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) has also established a charter for sustainable tourism, which is defined as an activity that is "economically viable, ecologically sustainable and socially equitable for local people" (Article 1 - 1995).
The three pillars or fundamental principles of sustainable tourism are therefore environmental, socio-cultural and economic:
- economic: economic profitability
- social and cultural: consideration and contribution of the local population
- environment: respect and moderate use of natural tourist resources
Remember: sustainable development is not limited to just one of its pillars, the environment, a dimension to which it tends to be commonly reduced.
Source: Lozato et al (2012)
Mountain resort perspectives
The objective for the resort, through all of its players, is to progressively commit to a more global and local approach which no longer favours one or two pillars as at present for a viable, liveable or equitable result, but rather a "sustainable" result which takes into account all of the components of sustainable tourism development.- Tourist Office: implementation of the sustainable tourism development strategy via the marketing and communication action plan
- Ski lift company: implementation of the charter for ski area operators for sustainable development by Domaines Skiables de France (DSF) in collaboration with the National Association of Mayors of Mountain Resorts (ANMSM)
- Town hall: maintenance of pastoral areas, development of sensitive natural environments and creation of the Heritage and Environment centre
- Economic actors: self-diagnosis, improvement options and promotion of sustainable tourism offers
- Travellers: guide for city-dweller / townie in the mountains, including good practices
Find out about the main sustainable development actions carried out in Chamrousse.
It is a process of continuous improvement and in the long term, we are not (yet) exemplary in this respect but we are doing everything possible to become so.
We are careful not to fall into the trap of greenwashing, a marketing practice aimed at giving ourselves an illusory image of ecological responsibility, because so-called "green" communication does not always mean eco-responsible.
We are therefore committed to transparent and honest communication. We do not take it upon ourselves to do what is already normal (by law) and we do not try to do things by halves.
To find out more about Chamrousse's sustainable tourism development approach, please contact the Tourist Office: via the contact form or by telephone on +33 (0)4 76 89 92 65.