A fairly gloomy month of July for commerce and tourism in Saint-Affrique

Le marché du samedi matin, leader de l’animation commerciale. MIDI LIBRE – J.M COGNOT

The clientele was mainly local, with that of second homes.

At the start of summer, the month of July was not extraordinary in terms of trade and the hotel and restaurant industry. Is this due to the effect of the Paris Olympic Games?? To the fact that 2024 is a special election year?? In any case, this is the observation that emerges from our survey.

“Most businesses complain about the lack of traffic and that it is a very quiet season,”comments Jonathan Couderc, president of the Saint-Affrique dynamique association. “Turnover is down compared to last year. Some food trades are complaining about the drop in attendance. July was very quiet despite the sales which were not very good for most of them. Some say that August is off to a good start. But what is lost is lost. "

"A local clientele"

In July, Jérôme Andrieu, the owner of the Pont-Neuf hotel-restaurant, worked with a professional clientele. "There are no tourists and there is a lack of traffic." For Jérémy Bellus, co-manager of the Café du Commerce,“It's not crazy, crazy, but it's not bad either. It's like July 2023. There are very few tourists. This is a local clientele and also people who have a second home in the region".

Adaptation and resilience

At the tourist office, in July, attendance at the reception offices in Roquefort, Saint-Affrique and Coupiac, as well as that of the reception outside the walls, fell by another 1,746 people, or 36% less than in 2023. "This confirms the change in customer behavior with a shift from the start of the season to the month of August", notes Marion Ninot, director of the tourist office. Top 3 main requests (same as 2023 and 2022): site visits (Roquefort cellars, castles, megalithic heritage), hiking, activities and shows. 91% French customers, mainly local, as in 2023. Top 3 departments: Aveyron, Hérault and Tarn (Gard in 2023). Top 3 foreign customers: Belgium (as in 2023), Netherlands (Spain in 2023) and Spain (Germany in 2023). 14,903 people (15,580 in July 2023) visited the cellars (Société des Caves, Caves Papillon, Atelier le Vieux Berger. Maison Gabriel Coulet never communicates its figures). The Roquefort region continues to attract visitors. The Roquefort cellars, emblematic and unique, retain their appeal.

Talita Wood, of the Saisons tea room and restaurant, also notes that the month of July is calm. “There are a few tourists, but not many. We mainly have a local clientele.” Sébastien Abdelkader, the owner of the Brasserie de l’Hôtel de Ville, makes the same observation about the lack of tourists. “Fortunately, we can rely on locals to have a sustainable business, whether in the short or long term.” 

At the Le 1837 tourist residence, Marina Viguier notes “very good attendance in July, with as many professionals as tourists. But at the beginning of the Olympic Games we had a drop in reservations. We had an exceptional spring in April, May and June. But at the beginning of August, we are not overwhelmed. It is a special summer." For the restaurant La Table de Jean, “July was not as good as in 2023. There were a few tourists, but not like last year.” For the café-restaurant Le Bruit du bouchon, July was “very gloomy”.

Calm on the market

Overall, July was calm, average or correct, depending on the businesses, with a local clientele, second homes, but few tourists. This is the case at Carré de la Mode (men's and women's ready-to-wear), Planète clope (electronic cigarettes), L'Ourson (men's and women's ready-to-wear) and the Grialou jewelry store. Some businesses mention a traffic problem and the difficulty of finding a parking space. “Some retailers don't play the game and take the parking spaces for themselves”, emphasizes one of them. Another regrets the lack of camping.

The Saturday morning market is an institution in the city. Yann Bouteiller, a market gardener from Comprégnac, has a stand there. ” July was okay but we had some climatic setbacks with rain, cold and heat. In July, there were a few tourists. Overall, we saw people passing by but business was a bit sluggish. There was a lack of production because of the weather."