What repercussions have been observed one year after the registration of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes with UNESCO ?

L’inscription au patrimoine de l’Unesco de la Maison Carrée et ses retombées. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

Le 18 septembre 2023, la Maison Carrée était inscrite au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco.

Since September 18, 2023 and its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Maison Carrée, this Roman temple built in the first century AD, has attracted increased interest and, above all, attention as part of a Management Plan to protect this property and a 72-hectare buffer zone.

This announcement last year also led to a wave of enthusiasm and hope for an increase in tourist numbers in the city, even if the enhancement and preservation of heritage are being given greater prominence. During a deliberation of the municipal council at the end of last year, an expected increase of 15% in the number of visitors by 2027 was mentioned.

20 to 50% increase in visitors for the Maison Carrée

The public service delegate Edeis, whose contract will be renewed since November 1st for eight years, recently counted in its application file on a foreseeable increase of 20 to 50% for the Maison Carrée alone. Edeis mentioned adapting the reception capacity by extending opening times by 2 hours during peak times, by creating an online reservation system, and restoring the initial volume by moving the ticket office.

Edeis wants not only to better manage the flow but also to allow a family audience to enjoy an innovative experience. Thus, outdoor terminals will offer the opportunity to live an immersive experience of a Roman ceremony, without forgetting the offer of augmented reality tours in the city.

Projects that will be able to support this influx of visitors. Their number has fluctuated over the last two years. After the reopening of the Maison Carrée, nearly 22,000 entries were recorded in July 2022 and more than 32,000 the following month, then 15,305 in September.

Foreign tourists

From July 2022 to July 2023, 160,000 visitors were counted with a new scenography and a different layout. What will it be like this year? ? The City and the Nîmes tourist office will take stock of the tourist season this week. Last spring, they had already noted a stir with more foreign tourists. Which is logical since this type of registration speaks to American or Asian visitors, to tour operators.

At the end of April, visits to the tourist office had increased by 10% compared to the same period of the year. A first sign. But this increase in attendance, and these economic benefits too, will only really be noticeable in two to three years. To be continued…

A management plan with around twenty actions

The protection perimeters and the Management Plan were approved by the experts of the National Committee for French World Heritage Properties in January 2020. This plan provides for around twenty actions. The elements of the file for the first UNESCO application “Nîmes, antiquity to the present” were very useful. Around twenty actions were listed. It is about dealing with knowledge: promoting university research, conferences, colloquiums to be programmed, creation of a digital archaeological Atlas of Nîmes with Inrap.

We also mention conservation : documentary fund created, charter for the protection and use of the Maison Carrée and its surroundings, protection-restoration, revision of the Plan for the preservation and enhancement of the remarkable heritage site, revision of the municipal preservation plan, partnership with the International Foundation of Roman Monuments of Nîmes, tree management plan, anti-graffiti plan, study to reduce the effects of car traffic on rue Général-Perrier.

There is a enhancement component: redevelopment of rue Auguste, charter of public spaces in the buffer zone, awareness and involvement of local authorities, revision of the tourism master plan, requalification of the Cella de la Maison Carré, protection and management plan. Finally, the plan lists actions for transmission: digital and audiovisual cultural mediation project, school and extracurricular awareness, decentralized international cooperation on the Outstanding Universal Value of the Maison Carré, training of public officials.

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