Culture and Tourism Mini Case Study RHONE-ALPES: Maison De La Lone in Saint Pierre De Boef Leisure Park Work Package 9
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Culture and Tourism Mini Case Study RHONE-ALPES: Maison de la Lone in Saint Pierre de Boef leisure park Work Package 9 Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007-2013, focusing on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) Contract: 2014CE16BAT034 October 2015 Author: Laura Delponte EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy Directorate B - Policy Unit B.2 Evaluation and European Semester Contact: Violeta Piculescu E-mail: [email protected] European Commission B-1049 Brussels EUROPEAN COMMISSION Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007- 2013, focusing on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) Work Package 9: Culture and Tourism - Case Study Rhône-Alpes (France) Mini Case Study Maison de la Lone in Saint Pierre de Boef leisure park Contract: 2014CE16BAT034 Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy 2016 EN Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). LEGAL NOTICE This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2016 ISBN 978-92-79-58798-6 doi: 10.2776/809626 © European Union, 2016 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007-2013, focusing on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) – Work Package nine: Culture and Tourism Table of Contents 1. SYNTHESIS ..................................................................................... 7 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ........................................................ 9 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................ 11 4. POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC CONTEXT .......................................... 13 5. IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................ 17 6. KEY RESULTS ................................................................................ 19 7. SUSTAINABILITY ......................................................................... 21 REFERENCES ...................................................................................... 23 ANNEX 1. TARIFF STRUCTURES OF THE NEWLY OPENED MAISON DE LA LÔNE ACCOMMODATION AND LEISURE FACILITY .............................. 25 October 2015 5 Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007-2013, focusing on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) – Work Package nine: Culture and Tourism The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) is undertaking an ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) during the period 2007-2013 in regions covered by the Convergence, Regional Competitiveness & Employment and European Territorial Cooperation objectives in the 28 member states. The Consortium IRS-CSIL-CISET-BOP was selected to undertake the ex post evaluation on ‘Culture and Tourism’ (Work Package 9). An important element within the evaluation is a series of case study analyses of NUTS2 regions covering interventions co-financed by ERDF during the 2007-2013 programming period. In addition to the full case studies (at a region’s programme level), the evaluation also includes two mini case studies (focused on individual projects) for each regional case study. As with the regional programme case studies, mini case studies are based on desk-based research and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with the main participants involved in the chosen projects. This report presents the results of a mini case study concerning the requalification of the sport and leisure centre Maison de la Lone, in the rural area of Pilat Rhodanien (Requalification de la base de loisirs à Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf). This is the second of two mini case studies selected from the many projects funded by the ROP Rhone-Alpes The report begins with a brief synthesis of the project before moving on to a detailed description and the presentation of the results of the analysis undertaken. The report ends with a review of the main conclusions of the study, together with a series of lessons learnt for future policymaking. The mini case study was based on documentary research, a site visit, and four semi- structured interviews. The interviewees were identified as part of the wider ROP evaluation exercise of which the mini case studies are part and were selected as being key actors in the design and delivery of the project. They are: Name of the Institution, position and role in the Contacts person project Responsible tourisme et loisirs, [email protected] Magali Cranga Communauté de Communes du Pilat 0776021453 Rhodanien David Barranco Directeur, Communauté de Communes 04 74 87 53 71 du Pilat Rhodanien [email protected] ahollande@Rhônealpes.fr Agnes Hollande Chargée de mission FEDER 04.26.73.58.81 Responsable Pôle "Tourisme, Tel 04 74 87 52 01 04 74 87 52 01 Éducation, Culture et Coopération" Axel MARTICHE [email protected] Parc naturel régional du Pilat October 2015 6 Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007-2013, focusing on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) – Work Package nine: Culture and Tourism 1. Synthesis For many years the local authorities of the Pilat district, a rural and mountainous area located in the proximity of the urban zones of Lyon and Saint Etienne, have tried to develop the tourist sector as a way to diversify the local economy. Tourist attendance has always been very high, but based on day excursions that brought little benefits to the local economy. The district had however a consolidated (white water sport center, Espace Eaux Vives) and an emerging (viaRhona) regional tourist flagship attractions that could be better exploited for the purpose of better structuring the local tourist offer. The project concerning the requalification of the leisure and sport center of Saint Pierre de Boeuf (Maison de la Lône) was designed to establish a linkage between the white water sport center that was also modernized with support from the 2007-13 OP, and the ViaRhona cycle route. It provides services (e.g. bike and skates rental, tourist information) that benefit the users of both sites. It diversifies the range of possible outdoor activities and was conceived as a sort of gateway to the surrounding areas of the Pilat regional natural park The project was anchored to a long term development vision envisaged by the inter- municipal community of Pilat Rhodanien and received support from different public administrations, including the Rhone-Alpes region, the French state and the Loire department. It was also based on a consensual use of the river and its banks amongst the different users (e.g. canoeing practitioners and fishermen). The investment does not promote any innovative tourist facilities, but it is remarkable for its capacity to build and integrate existing territorial assets within a sustainable development approach. The project did not incur into major implementation obstacles, because it was based on a large consensus and the beneficiary had solid project planning and project management capacity. The project was generally well designed and satisfactorily implemented. Works have been recently completed (June 2015), so there are not yet available data concerning the site attendance. Three people will be permanently employed within the leisure and sport facility, whereas other seasonal jobs could also be created. The most relevant development outcomes are expected to come out of the combination of the different interventions that have been supported on the site. For instance, the modernization of the white water sport centre has already delivered positive outcomes in terms of increased use of the facility and improved regional and national visibility. It still remains an open question whether this increased number of visitors will also materialize into an increased number of nights spent in the accommodation structures of the district, or in an increased use of the local restaurants. The project would not have been viable without public support and also depends on public funding for future maintenance works and the everyday management. However, the project is also set to generate an income that partly covers these costs, while the achievement of a financial equilibrium depends on the future evolution of demand. October 2015 7 Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007-2013, focusing on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) – Work Package nine: Culture and Tourism 2. Background information Country: France Region: Rhone-Alpes Full project title: Maison de la Lone in Saint Pierre de Boef leisure park (Requalification de la base de loisirs à Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf) Duration of project: July 2012 - May 2015 Key words: sport tourism, fluvial tourism, territorial marketing Funding: Total budget: EUR 819,330 ERDF contribution: EUR 173,697.96 (21.20%)