More than 156,000 visitors this summer to Dijon tourist offices! This is the positive report presented Monday, October 3 by the Dijon metropolis tourist office, which took stock of its 2022 summer season. According to the elected officials present on this occasion, that’s it, tourism in Dijon is going better. After the dark years marked by Covid-19, an average of 2,000 visitors per day came to Dijon tourist offices from May to September 2022.
A higher number of tourists than in 2019
For comparison, this figure is 2% higher than in 2019, the last “normal” year for the tourism sector before the pandemic. How to explain this revival? First of all with the return of foreign tourists who boosted hotel reservations (with a midscale hotel room occupancy rate of 81%) and merchant turnover. To the more “traditional” tourists from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany or Switzerland were added Italians, Americans or even Spaniards, nationalities who were not used to coming to the Côte-d ‘Gold.
Certain specific Dijon activities also explain this recovery in tourism. While the famous visit to the Philippe le Bon tower remains the most popular outing for summer visitors, tourists have also fallen for mustard workshops, due to the shortage period.
Dijonnais not seduced by the new international city of gastronomy
The elected officials also hailed the new International City of Gastronomy and Wine, which has brought together 200,000 visitors since its opening on May 6. The problem is that the locals have shunned the place. But no worries for Sladana Zivkovic5th deputy mayor of Dijon and president of the Dijon tourist office: “The city is like a small town within the city, you have to give the inhabitants of Dijon time to appropriate it. It will come, I think the inhabitants wanted to let tourists go there during the summer”.
Despite everything, Sladana Zivkovic does not hide the fact that bringing the Côte-d’Oriens back to the city of gastronomy is “one of the main issues” of the low tourist season which opens this fall. The challenge: to transform the city into a place of life for the inhabitants of Dijon. How to do ? “We wanted to focus on gastronomyexplains Nadjoua Belhadef, 13th deputy mayor of Dijon and responsible for trade and crafts. We are going to offer masterclasses with chefs who will learn to cook dishes, we have music, local actors like the Bamagotchi bar. There will be events throughout the year with the aim of fixing appointments with the Dijonnais. It starts with brunches in the city, every Saturday and Sunday morning.”
An autumn tourism campaign centered on gastronomy
Will that be enough to convince the locals? Nothing is less certain, the main criticism against the activities and products of the city of gastronomy being their prices, considered too high in this period of inflation. In the meantime, the tourist office presented its new advertising campaign on Monday, October 3, centered on gastronomy. With a slogan, “autumn is Burgundy”.