Airport, wine tourism, mobility… Nîmes metropolis displays its tourism ambitions for 2024

Xavier Labaune, Xavier Douais, Franck Proust, Michel Verdier, Jérôme Nolesini. MIDI LIBRE – Adrien Boudet

Jérôme Nolesini, nouveau directeur de l’aéroport. Midi Libre – Adrien Boudet

A season which is off to a strong start in Nîmes metropolis and rising targets for Nîmes Grande Provence Méditerranée airport announced by the new director.

First, a new face. As announced by Midi Libre at the beginning of April, Jérôme Nolesini has taken up his position as director of Nîmes airport, replacing Gregory Merelo.

Until now, general secretary of Edeis, the delegated company of the airport, Jérôme Nolesini, was present this Monday morning, for his first "outing" Nîmes official, on the occasion of a press conference in Nîmes Métropole on tourism and the launch of the 2024 summer season. At his side, among others, the president of the Agglo Franck Proust , the president and director of Nîmes tourism Xavier Douais and Xavier Labaune or even Michel Verdier, vice-president of the Agglo dedicated to agrotourism.

The opportunity for Franck Proust to recall, like Jean-Paul Fournier a few weeks earlier at the city level, the good health of tourism in the Nîmes metropolitan area. And to insist on the pooling of City/Agglomeration services put in place upon his arrival at the head of Nîmes métropole."It's been three years since we entrusted SPL Agate with the management of our community office, through Nîmes tourism. Tourism is a pillar of our economy provided that we manage it like an economy […] The efforts are bearing fruit." "The Nîmes destination is now one and indivisible, continued Xavier Douais. We are particularly interested in the rise of the business tourism that is sustainable and profitable. Knowing that a tourist who comes as part of a conference spends 290 euros per day."

Michel Verdier, for his part, insisted on the activities put in place by the Agglo around agriculture and viticulture, starting with the Mediterranean Flavors Days which will take place on June 1.

More flights to Charleroi, Edinburgh "suspended"

After a reminder of the (good) tourism figures for this first quarter of 2024 developed by Xavier Labaune, the new director of the airport, therefore, spoke. First to mention the objectives, always increasing airport attendance. "We recorded 252 000 passengers in 2023, we hope for 278 000 in 2024", announced Jérôme Nolesini. Who, in addition to riding the good trend of the Nîmes destination, wants to increase the rate of flights, particularly to Charleroi and is counting on a "better occupancy of flights for the year in year". On the other hand, Jérôme Nolesini indicated to Midi Libre that the Edinburgh destination, open in 2022, was currently & quot;suspended" by Ryanair, in particular for a "lack of Boeing" available.

Jérôme Nolesini quickly mentioned the work to come this fall in the Nîmes Grande Provence Méditerranée airport "at the level of the’ inspection and control" as well as lines of development of lines "towards Southern Europe and potentially the ;Northern Europe". Which to rejoice President Proust, who noted, two days before the Pentecost fair, that Spanish tourists are, by far, at the head of the nationalities most present in the Nîmes censuses tourism.