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IN BRIEF
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The municipality of La Rochefoucauld, ideally located between Dordogne and Charente-Maritime, seeks to revitalize its tourist attractiveness through strategic initiatives implemented by its Tourist Office. These efforts aim to enhance the image of the territory, attract more visitors, and encourage longer stays, all while uniting the various local stakeholders around common goals.
A need for legitimacy and recognition #
David Bourbon, secretary of the association of the Tourist Office, highlights a concerning observation: the perception of tourism among elected officials of the community seems to lack legitimacy. Despite the evident potential of this municipality, the emotional pain regarding the image of the territory persists. The Tourist Office aspires to change this dynamic by capturing the attention of more visitors and redefining the perception of the place.
Turnkey offers #
At the heart of the development strategy of the Tourist Office lies the concept of packaged offers. The idea is to link various tourist sites in the region and offer preferential rates to visitors. This approach aims to enrich the experience of tourists by proposing diverse itineraries that encourage the exploration of local riches.
At the same time, training sessions will be available for merchants and professionals in the sector. These sessions will cover various topics, such as conflict management or the use of social media for better visibility. By training local tourism stakeholders and gathering feedback from visitors through satisfaction surveys, the Tourist Office hopes to continuously improve its offerings.
Extending stays #
La Rochefoucauld welcomes an average of visitors for 1.38 overnight per stay, a figure that the Tourist Office aims to increase to 2 to 3 overnights by 2027. Although the hotel capacity remains insufficient, the nearby camping site could serve as a temporary solution. One of the major challenges lies in ensuring coherence between the dining offerings and the expectations of tourists.
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Currently, although the dining options are varied, difficulties persist, particularly with establishments often closed at certain times. David Bourbon thus wishes to expand the number of members of the Tourist Office, from 100 to 200, in order to rally more stakeholders around this ambition.
A strong territorial brand #
Another pillar of the revitalization strategy involves establishing a territorial brand. This translates into careful communication, both internal and external, to energize the attractiveness of the region. The president of the Tourist Office, Christian Lastère, emphasizes the importance of learning to effectively promote their territory. The creation of a slogan and a visual identity could also contribute to strengthening the visibility of La Rochefoucauld.
This initiative will not only aim to facilitate the identification of the territory but also to increase traffic to the Tourist Office’s website, which already attracts about 20,000 visitors.
A new location for the Tourist Office? #
Currently, the Tourist Office is located near the town hall but far from the heart of the city, which complicates access for tourists wanting to obtain advice or discover the small souvenir shop. A consideration is underway to move the premises to the Champ-de-Foire square. Although this project will take time, it shows a willingness to improve the accessibility and visibility of the Tourist Office, essential for the attractiveness of La Rochefoucauld.
