Advice and support for heritage sites
The Centre-Val de Loire region has around 200 heritage sites open to the public, generating nearly 1,000 jobs and attracting more than 9.5 million visitors. These sites are major pillars of the regional tourism offer. However, the effects of the health crisis have weakened the economic balance of many sites, requiring support to redefine their development strategy.
European Regional Development Fund funding will make it possible to offer consulting assistance to the managers of these sites, supporting them in the transformations necessary to ensure their sustainability. This support will include:
- The search for business models and management that are more resilient in the face of crises;
- The pursuit of digital transformation to improve the visitor experience;
- The integration of new health standards to adapt reception practices.
Development of new, innovative, high-quality and accessible visitor offers
Strengthening the region’s attractiveness for tourists involves creating new visitor offers focused on innovation, quality and social accessibility. ERDF funding will support initiatives aimed at modernizing the regional heritage offer through:
- The implementation of new visitor routes and services, integrating innovative technologies such as the metaverse;
- Support for initiatives to improve the quality of the visitor experience, through recognized labels such as the European Ecolabel, Qualité Tourisme or Accueil Vélo;
- The development of accessibility to sites for people with reduced mobility or disabilities;
- The promotion of projects related to adaptation to climate change, in particular the management of water resources for parks and gardens, and the response to the new expectations of clienteles (ecomobility, consumption in short circuits, recycling).
Networking and promotion of heritage sites and regional monuments
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding will also promote the networking of heritage sites and the strengthening of cultural promotion activities at the regional level. The objectives of this approach are:
- Support for collective actions and networks for the tourist promotion of heritage, particularly through labels and associations;
- The continuation of the event dynamics initiated in 2019, such as “Viva Leonardo da Vinci, 500 years of Renaissance in the Centre-Val de Loire”;
- The establishment of cultural and tourist seasons at the regional level, promoting the region’s natural and cultural heritage.
