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MINISTÈRE DES AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES ET EUROPEENNES
No. 33 – August 2008
Industrial tourism is booming
In France every year no fewer than 1400 companies, heritage museums or industrial sites
draw 20 million visitors. Every sector of the economy is represented, including industry,
laboratories, etc. But it is the giants of the food and agriculture industry and the traditional
crafts that have the most appeal. From the Kronenbourg breweries, founded in 1664, in
Strasbourg, to the Millau Viaduct, the highest road bridge in the world, which came into service
in December 2004, industrial tourism has turned into a flourishing sector.
Who knows how a crystal glass is made?
How do they make sugared almonds, or a cast-iron
casserole dish? What happens before a piece of
Reblochon cheese appears on our plate? How do
they build a jumbo jet? These are some of the
questions for which industrial tourism has the
answer, and it is growing ever more popular.
Visitors come from all different backgrounds
but they have the same aim: to learn about skills and
trades. By crossing the thresholds of manufacturers
and craftspeople, they begin to penetrate the mystery
of the world in which they live. There is also a
desire for culture, because a tour of a company
allows you to acquire new knowledge. By agreeing
to open its doors to visitors, a company seeks to
inform them about the technologies, the jobs and the
life of the company, and to reveal the economic and
industrial heritage of the region. Many sectors of
activity use this as a means of communication and
Benedictine Palace at Fécamp
publicity. “Communication with the general public
is part of the specifications of some companies such as EDF (Electricité de France); and it has met
with immediate success. These visits help other companies in the food and agriculture, domestic
electrical or automotive sectors to develop their brand image, build customer loyalty and construct
social links. It’s also an effective way to get yourself known,” points out Bertrand Labes, author of a
Guide des sites industriels et techniques [Guide to industrial and technological sites].
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Chambers of Commerce and Industry as well as Tourist Offices offer full packages. Several
départements have set up open-door weeks and special campaigns to combine various initiatives and
encourage companies to open to the public. For instance, on the edge of Paris, the Seine-Saint-Denis
CDT (Regional Tourist Board) has since 2001 established an innovative programme of visits to
industrial sites, companies, workshops and laboratories located in the département. In total, over 100
sites are open to the public. “The principle is to take visitors behind the scenes of a company and into
the heart of its activity. We have a highly diverse panel of companies,” observes Marie Périvier,
communication and marketing manager of the Seine-Saint-Denis CDT. Among the places open for
visits are the casting workshops of the Louvre Museum, Christofle, the Sanofi-Aventis site in
Romainville, one of the world leaders of the pharmaceutical industry, the workshops of the RATP
(Paris transport authority), behind the scenes of the Athénée theatre, in Paris, the restoration
workshops of the Air and Space Museum, in the buildings of Le Bourget airport.
In Angers, the CDT has been successfully running an industrial tourism week since 2000. This
key event in Angers and its suburbs, Made in Angers, held at the beginning of each year, involves a
hundred or so companies from all different sectors, which open their doors, from the factory that
makes Cointreau liqueur to Météo France (weather forecasting), through the workshop of a trendy
designer. “It’s a terrific experience. The public love finding out about what’s usually behind closed
doors,” is the view at the CDT.
There is a keen interest among all kinds of people and all generations. Learning first hand
about different trades and jobs is also a way of feeding the curiosity of the young, giving rise to
vocations and helping students decide what career to take up.
A plunge into some unmissable sites…
Near Saint-Malo, in Brittany, the La Rance tidal power plant, one of the most frequently visited
industrial sites in the world, draws some 300,000 visitors each year. Run by EDF, its electricity is
produced by tidal power, a major renewable energy. It produces 500 million kWh per year. Here
everything is enormous. The tour takes visitors right into the barrage’s nerve centre, the gigantic
machine room, 300 metres long, where the technicians get around on bicycles.
Particularly popular is the Benedictine Palace at Fécamp, in Haute-Normandie, which is a
subtle mix of extravagance and austerity, of Gothic and Renaissance style. Combining art and
industry, it is both the place where Benedictine liqueur is produced and a famous museum.
Holidaymakers can admire the copper stills in the distillery, and smell and touch the 27 plants and
spices that go into the precious liqueur.
In the south of France, not far from Toulouse where the leading site of the European
Aeronautical Industry is located, Airbus throws open its doors to visitors who are then able to see, in
its immense hangars, the fabulous A 330, A 340 and A 380. Several tours explaining the manufacture
of the aircraft are available.
In the Nord département, three centuries of mining activities are reconstructed. The Historic
Mining Centre at Lewarde, a genuine repository of mining memory, is the largest. It is visited by
200,000 tourists each year. Other galleries can also be visited, notably in the mines of Bruay-laBuissière.
Among the other most well-known sites, we should mention the Chantiers de l'Atlantique
shipyards at Saint-Nazaire, the Roquefort caves or the cellars of Champagne, as well as the Perrier
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factory at Vergèze, in the Nîmes region. “For companies it is very worthwhile and some industries
may well develop it even further. Making French technology known helps raise France’s profile,”
comments Noël Le Scouarnec, manager of the Design and Research office at the Department of
Tourism.
Industrial tourism also draws visitors from abroad, especially the Belgians, the British and the
Germans, who have a strong business culture in their home countries, followed by the Dutch, the
Americans, the Italians and the Spanish. Initiatives and working groups are going to be implemented
with France’s neighbouring countries by Maison de la France. Acting under the auspices of the
Minister of Tourism, Maison de la France brings together representatives from the public authorities,
professional tourism organisations and major business sectors in an economic partnership. “In
November 2008,” declares Noël Le Scouarnec, “the 2nd European Congress of Industrial Tourism, the
first of which was held in Angers, will be held in Toledo, Spain”.
Annik Bianchini
Websites
www.tourisme93.com: Seine-Saint-Denis tourist board (CDT)
www.anjou-tourisme.com: Anjou tourist board (CDT)
www.tourisme.gouv.fr: Department of Tourism
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