Let's talk about Couserans 2023 - Couserans Pyrenees

How to consider us,
the tourism of tomorrow?

Looking back at the first day-event
of March 28th, at the Maison de Coumanis.

**A magical place, for a day combining meetings and collective work in favor of the Couserans destination!** (Illustration Lore Van Laethem)

(Re)live this first edition:

The day was officially opened by our President Jean-Paul Cazes, Deputy Prefect Catherine Lupion and our Director Sarah Ozolins.
Our talented master of ceremonies for this day was Loïc Coissin, from La Mona office.
Let's move on to the morning's content, starting with the screening of a video montage of street interviews, on the vision of the Couserans destination from the outside., collected by students from the Higher Institute of Tourism and Food Industry (ISTHIA Foix) : These testimonies were not intended to freeze a truth about the notoriety of Couserans, but rather to provide avenues for initiating a time of exchange.
Mission accomplished: the students' work was of high quality, as was the relevance of the presentations from the floor, as well as the connections made by Loïc Coissin between our themes and those of other territories. The day was off to a great start!

After the feelings, it's time for the facts: a videoconference presentation of the key figures for tourism in Couserans, thanks to a solid analysis. (used nationally, by more than 600 Tourist Offices in France), presented by Félix Labonne (Director of Evaluation and Observation at Evaluamétris, Pilot Software).
Couserans in three figures (2021, rounded):
– 8000 commercial beds
– One million total overnight stays
– Economic weight estimated at 52 million euros (excluding excursions)
The objective was to share a "snapshot" of what the tourism sector represents for Couserans, to place ourselves on a matrix and to identify our main challenges.

Review this presentation, with all the key figures!

It was time to broaden our horizons and assess what influence the current context of crises and changes had on the tourism sector in general:
It was time to the conference hosted by our master of ceremonies Loïc Coissin (in charge of supporting service providers, marketing and observation at LA MONA – Nouvelle-Aquitaine).
In a few words: climate change, continued "digitization" towards web 3.0, notably with the rapid arrival of Artificial Intelligence in all areas, economic, geopolitical, health crises, etc. with their share of risks, constraints but also opportunities for change and innovation.

Here is a summary below, then the button to click to (re)view the presentation support:

« Tourism is such a widespread phenomenon that it is difficult to understand it in isolation: while accommodation, leisure activities and catering obviously fall within the tourism sphere, the same is true for shops, crafts, transport, some public services and even local infrastructure.
So much for the “supply” side, the internal aspect of a territory or a destination.
As for the "demand" point of view, it is just as complex: we see a diversity of forms of tourism practiced by users, whether they are travelers, day-trippers, or even residents.

Add to this the fact that the tourism phenomenon, in the eyes of humanity, is contemporary, and despite this, it has profoundly changed, not to say that it is constantly evolving. What can we learn from the metamorphoses of recent years?
– the tourism industry, like all of society, has changed its practices with digitalization, with all its advantages and disadvantages from the point of view of supply
– this has accelerated the empowerment of the customer, who now has the levers necessary for his tourist autonomy
– successive crises (health, social, economic, climatic, etc.) are likely to accelerate this perpetual change, where the extraordinary becomes the ordinary

So what opportunities are there at the scale of a territory, a destination? The first challenge is to mobilize all stakeholders around a shared tourism ambition: tourism service providers, elected officials, institutional tourism bodies, residents, associations, etc.
What is our reason for being, in terms of tourism, in our territory, and what direction are we taking?
Given that we have less and less control over the impact we can have on tourist demand (a little, but it is far from complete), it is essential to start by working on the marketing of the offer, for which we are the primary decision-maker, with our tourist office as the figurehead.

See Loïc Coissin’s support – LA MONA

After a speech by Christine Téqui, President of the Ariège Departmental Council, let's eat!!! We enjoyed a buffet showcasing the finest local produce : soup from Victor, pastries and fougasse from Soum, roasts from Super-Côte and Grenier à jambons, organic sauces and pickles from Laetitia Favaro and Grange de la Cité, cheeses from Moulin Gourmand, croustades, beers from La Boussole, etc. and more! All this using georgette of course, the iconic cutlery of Couserans! In truth, we had a great time.
Let's change tables! We then experienced a time of concrete collective work for our destination thanks to 4 thematic round tables, the summary of which is below (available soon). We were spread out among the rooms of the magnificent Gîte de Coumanis.
After a clear and concise express restitution of each round table by their facilitator, we have closed this excellent day of work with a final outdoor cocktail with music New Orleans, with Helios and Emmanuel from the band Bawling Cats

The Reports
round tables

Table No. 1: Let’s highlight THE Couserans!
- Reconciling our visions of Couserans for collective communication.

Summary (3-minute read)

Full report

Table No. 2: Click digital?
- Embark on a safari in the heart of the digital jungle : The objective is to understand the use of digital technology by putting myself in my client's shoes to better understand and target the different tools available to me.

Summary (3-minute read)

Full report