Meet Yannick Le Magadure, Marketing Director at the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Tourist Board.

Industrial tourism is in with the times

How important is industrial tourism in your region?

Yannick Le Magadure - It is France's leading region for business visits, with 2.5 million visitors according to the 2013 "Entreprise et Découverte" survey. Three sectors of activity are particularly well represented: cosmetics, with L'Occitane and Fragonard as 'powerhouses', and everything to do with lavender and Marseille soap. The food sector is also attractive, with Calissons du Roy René in Aix-en-Provence, oil mills and wineries, as well as cheese and honey producers. Finally, the arts and crafts sector also stands out, with the Biot glassworks leading the way, as well as potters, earthenware makers, santon makers, etc. Nearly a hundred businesses have been awarded the "Quality Tourism - Business Visits" label. While others have not, the quality of their offer means they can be listed on the Association de la Visite d'Entreprise website. Businesses can also form networks, such as the route des Saveurs et des Senteurs des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, which highlights the art of living in Provence.

Is it this wealth of information that prompted you to launch a Guide du Routard de la visite d'entreprise en Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in partnership with Hachette Tourisme?

Y. L. M. - In fact, we thought this guide was a good idea, given the size of our offer. This type of visit highlights other possibilities for staying in our region. What's more, industrial tourism is very much in the air these days: we regularly receive requests to visit a company and go behind the scenes... The idea of seeing the back room of one of these companies and getting a glimpse of its manufacturing secrets is a bit magical!