How this famous French Riviera village wants to attract more local tourists

The summer season begins in Valbonne.

In the office, located in the city center at 14 rue de la Fontaine, the elected officials present for the tourist visit go through the new developments put in place to promote the town as well as the eighteen others to be promoted during the holidays.

With the free guided tours, already available in eight surrounding towns, the tourism policy aims to attract all types of visitors. " We're targeting tourists from the Sophia Antipolis [Casa] urban community, as well as those looking for authenticity ," says Christophe Jartoux, director of the Casa intercommunal tourist office.

Outdoor activities, heritage tours, or discovering traditions... On the shelves of an alcove in the office, the latest edition of Petit Futé and "travel notebooks" are displayed. These small booklets, currently being rewritten, are designed to offer various itineraries lasting one to several days.

A new application

But the big news is digital. " We've developed an offer on the Myvisito app with Menton Riviera, Antibes, and Villeneuve-Loubet ." The app, already used by other tourist offices in France, will be operational for the first year in the Alpes-Maritimes. Events, sites to visit, " everything is uploaded to the itinerary creation app ." Ideas for turnkey visits for tourists, " 30 to 35% of whom come from abroad ," " with many locals from France, Italy, and the Paris region ," concludes Alizée David, a tour guide.