Key figures

Positioning

Tourism in the Aisne amounts to:

• 15,091 commercial tourist beds in 2005, with an increase of over 40% expected for 2007 after the opening of the third French Center Parcs (for an estimated total of 21,295 beds).
• 5,500 tourism-related jobs, 80% of which are not seasonally dependent
• Over 1.4 million commercial overnight stays
• Over 150 million euros worth of tourism spending
  
  

(sources : CDT02/INSEE/ORT)

Clientele

The Aisne benefits from a customer catchment area of over 90 million inhabitants within a 300 km radius, thanks to the proximity of the largest European population centres:

• Greater London and South-East England (18 million inhabitants)
• Ile de France (11 million inhabitants)
• Nord-Pas-de-Calais (4 million inhabitants)
• Belgium (10 million inhabitants)
• Rhur Basin (10 million inhabitants)
  

The Aisne's privileged geographical location explains the significant proportion of foreign visitors in the clientele for commercial accommodation. With foreign tourists accounting for more than 53% of overnight stays, the proportion of foreign visitors is significantly above the national average, with a the vast majority being British customers.

Breakdown of commercial overnight tourist stays in 2004:

French	46,8%
Foreign visitors	53,2%

GB	57,1%
NL	21,8%
BEL	8,1%
Germany	5,5%
Other	7,5%

(Sources : CDT02/INSEE/ORT)

According to a recent study, Belgians have a very positive view of Picardy, particularly those who have already visited the region.

Some remarks:

• A relaxing, natural and unspoilt destination
• A wide range of attractions with high-quality accommodation and good food
• A nearby, easily accessible region
• A refreshing change of scenery and a destination that offers excellent value for money

(An extract from the study conducted by the Vectis Conseil consultancy - 2003)

Road traffic

• The Aisne experiences one of the highest concentrations of foreign road traffic in France, estimated at 2.75 million foreign vehicles per year over the three main routes (A26 – A4 – N2).
• On the A26, upstream of Laon, more than 42% of road vehicles (categories 1 and 2) are British and almost 37% are Belgian. All foreign vehicles put together account for an average of 2,891 vehicles per day.
• 161,472 foreign vehicles (categories 1 and 2) pass through motorway toll plazas within the region and on its borders.
  

Related resources

Discover all of the key figures, studies and statistics in the professional section of the Comité Départemental du Tourisme de l'Aisne (Aisne Tourist Board): Pro-evasion-aisne 

Download the document for investors  (PDF 2.2Mo)