2024-03-22 00:00:53
For the products sold in the new boutique area of the tourist office at Place de la Victoire, the team worked extensively on the selection, choosing emblematic elements of the department: the Puys chain, Michelin, Clermont architecture and the activities around Puy-de-Dôme. With this store, the office is acting in an approach of attractiveness and wishes to make access to information as fluid as possible. Vincent Garnier, general director of the Clermont tourist office, explains in detail the challenges of tourism in Clermont and the importance of selling local products.
Is a shop in a tourist office legitimate?
Vincent Garnier: We monitored to find out what our colleagues’ practices were. Today, in urban tourism and even in rural tourism, there is no longer a single tourist office without a shop space. The boutique space was not specifically designed with turnover in mind. Of course, this comes into play, but it has allowed us to develop more promotional actions and prospecting communications. We are resolutely convinced that it is the best place to showcase local know-how, to highlight local producers and which contributes to the notoriety of a destination.
“The human relationship remains essential”
Does a physical tourist office still have a reason to exist?
V. G: It’s the hidden side of the iceberg. Naturally, in addition to welcoming visitors, a lot of work is done by the Clermont Auvergne Volcans tourist office on digital: a team dedicated to digital, a digital platform and a lot of work on social networks occupy a large part of the action of the tourist office. There is a need to be present in the digital world since today this is where seduction takes place and this is where the realization – the sale – takes place…. but we realize that the human relationship, whatever we say and whatever we think regarding it, remains primordial. The entire job of the tourist office advisors is to identify the public’s expectations and provide appropriate solutions.
What is the tourism situation in Clermont?
VG: A large majority of the tourist activity in our metropolis is business clientele. Regarding leisure tourism, there are a certain number of practices. There is the fairly classic practice of stop and go on the southern route or going back with a stopover in Clermont which represents a significant volume. We are increasingly seeing that there is an increase in the length of stay at the destination. It’s all the work we do in terms of communication and promotion. It is a long-term work on the image that we work on through our efforts, particularly in terms of notoriety. We had a good share of foreign customers before Covid which we are in the process of regaining, particularly among local European customers who are our priority foreign targets.
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