"Now, people want to experience things": the Provence Verte tourist office is seeking to reinvent the region's appeal
Hélène Dos Santos ([email protected]) Published on 08/23/2025 at 06:30, updated on 08/23/2025 at 06:30
This is an observation made by professionals at the Provence Verte Verdon Intercommunal Tourist Office (OTI), led by Audrey Falcou, the director. "Nowadays, people want to experience things; it's the big trend. An exhibition with an information panel to read no longer interests them," she notes.
In recent years, the OTI has moved beyond its primary mission of promoting tourism to offer activities that the organization is intended to market. For example, "we created an investigation game at the Château de Valbelle in Tourves. We're trying to work with our socio-professionals to bring them to this." Thus, the office has defined a strategy to meet new expectations based on the region's wealth.
Combining nature and heritage
First, strengthen outdoor activities that will showcase our heritage, particularly our religious heritage. " We've been working for five years on a GR de pays (local hiking trail) that will link, on foot, the three sanctuaries: Notre-Dame de Grâce in Cotignac, the basilica in Saint-Maximin, and the Sainte-Marie-Madeleine cave in Plan-d'Aups. We hope that by the end of the year, we'll have land control and be able to submit the application to the federation. Fingers crossed."
Wine tourism, the beginnings
Then, the OTI naturally turned its attention to wine estates. Wine tourism seemed like an obvious choice , "but we're way behind the times," admits Audrey Falcou. "For a long time, wine estates didn't need to develop this activity. They sold their wine and everything was fine. And then, some started selling their offerings: mainly reception halls and accommodation."
Since 2017, this is the path chosen by the Saint-Julien estate in La Celle. "We offer five guest rooms in the country house and a reception room that can accommodate 400 people," explains Claire Canolle, the director.
Tasting workshops, deemed "too ordinary," have given way to cooking classes taught by Julien Lépine, the chef at the Hostellerie des Gorges de Pennafort. "This year, we've relaunched the musical evenings. The clientele who come to the bastide aren't there for wine tourism," analyzes Claire Canolle. "It's up to us to get them interested in wine, to turn a tourist into a wine tourist. Except that people don't come to the South for that." Other regions have made wine an attraction, a destination for visitors, and have made wine tourism a full-fledged activity with dedicated staff. In the region, "even if new economic resources are needed, the estates are not yet very well structured, even though there is a will," adds Audrey Falcou. So to guide visitors, there is a wine route and the Vignobles et Découvertes label.
Finally, agriculture is a sector that is also opening up to tourism. Direct sales, farm visits, Welcome to the Farm is a label that guarantees discovery experiences with farmers.
"Don't be afraid, they won't do anything to you," Fabienne Grison leads her geese at a walking pace. " Here, there are the eggplants, the lettuce, the onions. And there, in the greenhouse, there are the tomatoes." You have to keep up the pace. Fabienne knows her farm like the back of her hand, and her feet have already trodden every corner. And besides, she's not used to beating around the bush. You don't have to go especially fast, but there are a thousand things to do. Her farm is her home. Her work, her life. " It's 7 days a week. Of course, it has to be liked. I liked it straight away."
Fabienne settled in 1996 and turned La Machoto (owl in Provençal) into a farmhouse inn in 1998. Her business is known as the white wolf in Saint-Julien-le-Montagnier. She took over from her father and grandparents before him. She's right in the thick of agritourism, and she's one step ahead. She knew that spa guests from Gréoux-les-Bains, just fifteen minutes from the village, would be loyal customers. She wasn't wrong. " We've made friends with lots of people, people from Brittany, Strasbourg..."
"There is no shorter circuit"
But what is a farm inn? " We prepare meals exclusively with products from the farm." Seasonal, of course. In 1998, the Bienvenue à la ferme label—La Machoto was immediately certified—required that 75% of cooked products come from the farm. " Today, it's 50%. I do as much as possible with my own produce. We have 16 hectares of vines, 30 hectares of cereals, and 3 hectares of market gardening. And poultry," she adds. "Guinea fowl, chickens, ducks. Rabbits too. The only thing I don't make is goat cheese. I get it from Montmeyan."
Needless to say, the days are long. " I also sell vegetables directly, but not in winter." His vegetables go straight to the pan. There's no shorter route. " I pick them as I go. I hate vegetables that have been in cold storage. That's what tourists like."
Tourists, precisely, who are rare this year, estimates Fabienne. " From 35 people per service, we've dropped to 12." But it takes more than that to discourage the farmer. " I'm not ready to stop."
It was officially launched at the Brignoles fair last April. Chichoulet is the dish that could revive chickpea cultivation in the region. The OTI is working with the Provence Verte urban area to put the recipe on the menus of top restaurants. The goal: to create a culinary identity. "It's still a little early for a tourist attraction," concludes Audrey Falcou.
Var-Matin
