A new mission for the SPL Ouest Aveyron Tourisme: the Outdoor Nature Center of the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron and Viaur!
The Call for Projects for Outdoor Nature Centers in the Massif Central
Launched with the support of Europe and the State (ANCT – FNADT), this Call for Projects is part of the objectives of sustainable tourism of the Massif Central. It aims to select territories wishing to develop a nature tourism offer (sports and leisures) promoting its landscapes, natural and heritage resources.
The candidate territories had to present sufficient scale in terms of scope, strategy and actions to be inspiring. The challenge is to organize a network of centers focused on excellence and innovation, proposing to experiment with exemplary and reproducible working and valorization methods.
The winning territories are supported for 3 years on the animation of their projects, mainly through the financing of a Development Officer position, as well as the sharing of experiences through a network and the possibility of additionally mobilizing credits from other institutional partners.
The Outdoor Nature Center of the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron and Viaur
The SPL Ouest Aveyron Tourisme is responsible for the project
With the support of West Aveyron Community and its municipalities, the SPL Ouest Aveyron Tourisme is carrying out this project, integrated into the tourism development strategy of Ouest Aveyron Communauté for 2023-2026.
Efforts will focus on hiking and outdoor sports activities, innovative and attractive projects for families, to become a recognized and reference destination throughout Occitania.
Missions
As part of this Pôle de Pleine Nature operation, the SPL Ouest Aveyron Tourisme, in conjunction with local stakeholders, will have the main missions of:
- structure the hiking offer around centers spread across the territory;
- restructure the offer of the Viaur Aveyron MTB site in the South;
- develop hiking/biking service information stations;
- coordinate the requalification of the nature leisure center of the Rock of Gorb ;
- follow the deployment of the cycle route crossing the territory;
- develop cycle-tourist loops in the north of the territory.
A local and family target
Residents and regional tourist customers, in particular families and young urban workers, are at the heart of the tourism strategy and their interest in our territory is also an issue of attractiveness. Also, we will have particular attention to these clienteles in the projects and we will also develop a offer specially oriented towards “families” with the creation of family nature walks autonomously in the territory.
A partnership project of the Grand Site Occitanie Bastides and Gorges de l’Aveyron
A destination between heritage and nature
In 2018, West Aveyron Community and Community of Communes Quercy Rouergue Gorges of Aveyron have obtained joint labeling with the scheme “Great Occitanie Sites” (GSO) of the Region with the name “Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron” and common management. The actions notably promote iconic hearts : Caylus, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, Najac, Villeneuve d'Aveyron, and Villefranche-de-Rouergue, as well as sites of excellence: Bosc caves as well as Foissac, abbeys of Beaulieu-en-Rouergue as well as Loc-Dieu, Chartreuse Saint-Sauveur and deanery of Varen.
Alongside heritage, nature is the other key emblem of the Grand Site Occitanie Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron, which travelers appreciate on both sides of Aveyron or Tarn-et-Garonne, without consideration for administrative borders! This is why the two labeled territories of the Grand Site Occitanie Bastide and Gorges de l’Aveyron wish to move jointly in the coming years towards valorization of homelessness, facilitation of tourist connections between territories and the pursuit of cross-promotion.
Joint work on roaming and soft connections
As part of their territorial projects and their respective tourism strategies, the two territories West Aveyron et Quercy Rouergue Gorges de l'Aveyron were winners of a Call for Pôle de Peine Nature Projects, part of the sustainable tourism objectives of the Massif Central. Together they have planned partnership actions facilitating the deployment of active and tourist mobility within the GSO Bastides et Gorges de l'Aveyron and towards neighboring GSOs, in line with the regional strategy and ecological issues.
The partnership actions of their Outdoor Nature Center projects will therefore be based mainly on homelessness and / or the sweet connections facilitated between territories, as well as sustainable management of resources:
- Promote interdepartmental routes (Conques-Toulouse, GR 36 and 46) by fully committing to the Departments carrying out these projects.
- Continue jointly with the Departments the deployment of cycle routes (Gorges de l'Aveyron and its extensions) and services promoting the use of the routes.
- Restructure and relabel the offer of the Aveyron-Viaur mountain bike area provided by Ouest Aveyron, maintaining the junction via Laguépie with the VTT area -FFC n°215 of the Gorges de l'Aveyron.
- Raise awareness among those involved in the Aveyron and Viaur rivers, the links between the two territories, about their development challenges and the necessary diversification of tourist activities.
- Promote and market tourist offers based on common roaming or on a facilitated connection between the two territories by favoring digital tools.
