Aix Island, for its part, is looking for a parade against the flow of tourists

It is one of the jewels of Charente-Maritime. The island of Aix, located not far from the island of Oleron and the island of Re, has many assets. In addition to the magnificent view of Fort Boyard, the small crescent of land concentrates a variety of landscapes and seems to offer a welcome respite. However, “Little Corsica of the Atlantic”, as some like to call it, is a victim of its own success. This summer, it recorded a peak of 8,000 visitors per day (while the barely 1.19 km² island has 200 year-round residents).

The congestion it suffers from, to the point of wanting to get off the radar of tourism promotion, teaches us: Southwest . Mayor Patrick Daneau and his deputies are now proposing to involve their area in the process of tourism “demarketing”. Indeed, attendance on the island continues to grow. +20% from 2013 to 2018, then +15% from 2021 to 2022, welcomes the Urban Community of Rochefort-Ocean (Caro). It is not enough to please the municipality, which pointed out a number of problems, such as the insufficient number of public toilets or even encroachment on sensitive land. So many difficulties that affect the reception of visitors, but above all the natural resources of the island.

Wait two hours for a table

“Queues to board the ferry or eat at restaurants this summer have been spectacular, with waits of up to two hours for lunch. On Friday, November 11, the ship refused people. I heard a lot of people complaining, some were furious.”, reveals the mayor to our colleague. Also, the lack of respect shown by some visitors threatens the long-term preservation of the island’s environment. Faced with this observation, Patrick Denot asks Caro’s artistic direction to contribute a “realistic, honest and non-idealized communication”. As revealed Southwesta working meeting on this topic will be organized on December 1.

Can restricted access to the island be considered? If a decision was not taken in this direction, the approach would not be unprecedented. The symbolic example of the streams of Marseille is evidence. So Sugiton tested an online reservation system for the first time this summer to limit the number of visitors to 400 per day. Others also wanted to limit advertising in their area. This is the case of Belle-Île-en-Mer in Brittany, which recently refused to hold a ceremony to highlight the GR 340, which was voted “the French’s favorite GR” in 2022. Reason. The overcrowding of the island in the summer, which had an undesirable effect on its environment.