Fly over the Vienne in a hot air balloon, dive into the history of the Loudunais who left to settle in New France in the 17th century, discover Lake Saint-Cyr on an electric motorbike… So many tourist activities presented to visitors during the show Proxi-Loisirs, this Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 April at the Poitiers exhibition center. Organized by the Department of Vienne and the Poitou creativity and attractiveness agency, the event welcomes around a hundred exhibitors, and is primarily aimed at the inhabitants of Vienne and Poitou. “The target audience is very family-oriented” explains Nicolas Monseigne, director of the Poitou creativity and attractiveness agency (ACAP). “We praise the green holidays, but also the heritage component, probably too little known to the inhabitants”.
Reviving tourism after the Covid
“We know that the inhabitants of a territory are always its first tourists. The first holidays are the closest, visits for an afternoon, an evening. The change of scenery can start very close to home”, adds Marie Touraine, responsible for tourism development for the country of Gâtines. On this stand, we highlight hikes, discoveries and green outings around Parthenay. “Too often, the inhabitants of a territory know it too little. We must remember, each time, that there are beautiful things around”. Vienne thus has 400 tourist sites, including three towns labeled City and Country of Art and History, and three other small towns of character..
– Ninnog Louis
“The idea is also to transform the inhabitants of Vienne into the first ambassadors of the territory. If they know it better, they will talk about it around them”, hopes Nicolas Monseigne. A promotion all the more important as the tourism sector has suffered from the last two years of the pandemic. “Some companies are in difficulty, a few weeks before the start of the tourist season”, worries Nicolas Monseigne. The show is also there to help these professionals, with a recruiting booth centralizing dozens of job offers. For visitors, entertainment is planned throughout the two days, as well as competitions.
Practice : Salon Proxi’Loisirs, April 2 and 3 at the Poitiers exhibition center. 10am-7pm. Free.