The title of top city in France - and seventh in the world - won by Lyon on the occasion of the GDS Index 2021 (Global Destination Sustainability Index) could have marked the culmination of the destination's efforts on the long road to sustainable development. Not so. On the contrary, Lyon's managers are stepping up the pace with the launch of the very first responsible tourism development scheme. Presented in Paris on Thursday, the scheme is the fruit of a year's work, bringing together all the players in the industry, and was finally voted through unanimously in the midst of a health crisis. This five-year plan should enable the city to take a new 'green' step forward in terms of tourism in the broadest sense. The dimension MICE This is particularly true given that business tourism accounts for the majority of overnight hotel stays in Lyon (65% according to 2019 figures). As Hélène Dromain explains, "Lyon's new-found recognition is also helping to attract event organisers. The GDS index is used by event organisers to help them make their choice, and this can help bring in new customers. congress to our destination "Lyon's vice-president in charge of European and international cooperation and tourism.
We don't give lessons, we support organisers by giving them the tools they need to organise events in Lyon more responsibly.
" By its very nature, an event is ephemeral, so there are real challenges to work on. "says Virginie Carton. The new Managing Director of the Lyon Metropolitan Tourist Office continues: " Together with the Convention Bureau, we have set up a "To do list. The aim is to show organisers that at every stage in the organisation of their event, we have solutions to offer them in terms of transport, accommodation and catering. And we have identified all the service providers in Lyon who can offer solutions. We don't give lessons, we support organisers by giving them the tools they need to organise events in Lyon more responsibly. ".
In addition, the responsible tourism development scheme plans to support business tourism operators - and more generally all eligible operators - in their efforts to obtain environmental certification. Specifically, the Lyon Metropolitan Area has earmarked a budget of 300,000 over two years so that Lyon's industry can make the most of its sustainable efforts. " For hotels, restaurants, event organisers and hospitality venues, we have set up an eco-labelling scheme under which we cover 80% of certification costs. "says Virginie Carton.
At a time when the health crisis has made the MICE market more competitive than ever - even if Lyon's managers point to a higher than average resilience, with an occupancy rate of 50% in the hotel sector in 2021 - the city is confident of approaching the future with more cooperation than competition with other destinations. And always with a view to better management of environmental issues. " We're not in competition with each other; there are a lot of working and cooperation meetings in France and beyond, because we're all asking the same questions. Our challenge is to move forward together "says Virginie Carton. This teamwork could soon result in new tools for event organisers, who are still struggling to measure the environmental impact of their operations. " We are working with Bordeaux, Marseille, Paris and many other destinations to find out how to measure performance and introduce new indicators. "promises the Managing Director of the Lyon Metropolitan Tourist Office.
