After a mixed Easter weekend, the Nîmes tourist office expects an increase in attendance.

The Maison Carrée in Nîmes attracts more and more visitors. Archive A. Barbarenko

Update on tourist activity before the spring school holidays in Nîmes.

The team at the Nîmes tourist office expects to welcome a larger flow of tourists from Saturday April 6, the first day of the spring holidays which will be spread over a period of one month due to the three school zones.

Enough to forget a rather disappointing Easter weekend in terms of attendance: "The weather was not good last Saturday and Sunday and, compared to Easter 2023, we were not in school vacation period. At the office, we recorded a drop in attendance of 15% compared to last year", makes no secret of Xavier Douais, deputy mayor delegate for tourism.

More Canadian and American tourists

Beyond this mixed assessment, we must remember that with the arrival of spring, foreign customers also appeared in the streets of l'Écusson, like buds on the trees. Thus, at the Nîmes OT, it constitutes 54% of visitors, led by Spaniards followed by Germans, Italians, British and, to a lesser degree, Canadians and Americans: < em>"There has been a trend towards an increase in the number of American visitors for several months", confides Xavier Douais.

If, for this start of the season, attendance is down slightly in Roman monuments such as the Arena and the Tour Magne, this is not the case for the Maison Carrée which benefits more from its registration, last September, as a UNESCO world heritage site. "The monument is doing well with an increase in visitors of around more than 10 %", congratulates Xavier Douais.

Planets aligned

In terms of hotel reservations, a drop of 3 to 4% was noted but this should increase significantly, according to the Nîmes tourist office, in the coming weeks. Indeed, the start of the school holidays, which particularly concerns the inhabitants of Île de France, and the launch of the first edition of La Contemporaine, with its cultural offering which will appeal beyond the Gard, make it possible to nourish many hopes.

To summarize, the tourism assistant for the city of Nîmes is not far from thinking that all the planets are aligned to ensure a great start to the season: "We have the holidays, the Contemporary, the May bridges which are well timed compared to last year, the Roman Days and the Pentecost feria in the wake with a program in the arenas which announces a very good edition." The tourist office has made sure to offer visits and events that stick to current events . To arrive with a smile until the summer period.

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