TOURISM SEMINAR

Theme: Coastal tourism and sustainability 

Tourism, a rapidly expanding economic sector worldwide, is now faced with a threefold challenge :
continuing to grow while ensuring the protection of ecosystems and strengthening territorial cohesion. The continuous increase in the number of tourists is putting increased pressure on ecosystems, which are already
weakened by climate change and overexploitation. At the same time, tourism dynamics are exacerbating inequalities,
particularly through the proliferation of short-term rentals, which restrict access to housing for local populations, especially low-income households. These tensions, both environmental and social, call into question the ability of
destinations, and even more so coastal areas, to ensure balanced and sustainable tourism development.
Brittany perfectly illustrates these issues. Although overall tourist numbers there are fairly stable (even marked by a shortening of the average length of stay), day trips are growing strongly (+17% in 2019, +10% in 2021¹). Above all, this tourism is concentrated in terms of both time and space: half of all overnight stays occur in July and August, and nearly three out of four overnight stays are on the coast². This dual concentration, both seasonal and geographical, exacerbates pressure on the environment.
This research seminar aims to examine the challenges facing the tourism sector in Brittany and elsewhere, bringing together the perspectives of academics and industry professionals.

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¹ Reflets 2022 survey, https://pro.tourismebretagne.bzh/etudes/thematique/profils-attentes-comportements-clienteles/reflet-bretagne-profils-attentes-comportements-clienteles, accessed November 13, 2025.
² Ibidem.

Provisional program

9.15 a.m.      Welcome coffee
9.45 a.m.      Opening of the day by Philippe Guillou (Director of the Pierre-Jakez Hélias Centre in Quimper, University of Western Brittany)
10 a.m.         Conference by Claudia Ribeiro Almeida (professor, University of Algarve), 
                     Staying short, impacting big. The new challenges of Costal Tourism Destinations
11 a.m.         Presentation of PanoraVeille by Pierre Bouton (Director of OTB - Federation of Tourist Offices of Brittany and founder of PanoraVeille)
11.30 a.m.    Roundtable discussion - tourism professionals
                     Pierre Bouton (Director of OTB - Federation of Tourist Offices of Brittany and founder of PanoraVeille)
                     Eric Vighetti (Director of the Quimper Cornouaille Tourist Office and Vice-President OTB - Federation of Tourist Offices of Brittany)
12.30 p.m.    Lunch break
2 p.m.           Conference by Gema Ramirez (professor, University of Cádiz)
                     Innovative solutions for coastal tourism in vulnerable areas: a sustainable marketing approach
3 p.m.           Presentation of the development project for the La Torche site (Finistère) by Ingrid Lainé (project manager, Plomeur town hall)
4 p.m.           Conclusion of the day

Please note that all presentations during the day will be in French, except for the conferences at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

For any information :
Edna Hernandez Gonzalez (edna.hernandezgonzalez@univ-brest.fr) ; Maxime Dejean (maxime.dejean@univ-brest.fr) ;
Annie Ouellet (annie.ouellet@univ-brest.fr)