Press kit WHAT'S NEW IN MIDI-PYRÉNÉES New addresses, brand new attractions, innovations and great ideas: a roundup of the latest tourism developments in a region on the move. WHAT'S NEW IN MIDI-PYRÉNÉES WHAT'S NEW IN MIDI-PYRÉNÉES Contents IDENTITY P.3 AROUND TOWN P.4 HISTORY TIME P.5 ECO-TOURISM P.6 ASTRO-TOURISM P.7 OUT AND ABOUT / BY BIKE P.8 BON APPÉTIT! P.9 NEW ADDRESSES P.10 Press kit 2 WHAT'S NEW IN MIDI-PYRÉNÉES Identity WHAT MAKES MIDI-PYRÉNÉES offers vast areas of countryside and an endless STAND OUT range of spectacular scenery such as the Tarn Situated in South West France, between the Gorge, the Aveyron Gorge, the Lot Valley, the Dor - Atlantic and Mediterranean, the Midi-Pyrénées re - dogne Valley, the high peaks of the Pyrenees, and gion draws its wealth of interest and incredibly di - more… With 28,000 km of waymarked footpaths, verse heritage and countryside from 8 départe- the Pyrenees National Park and 4 Regional Nature ments full of character. Together, Ariège, Aveyron, Parks, Midi-Pyrénées is the perfect destination Haute Garonne, Hautes Pyrénées, Gers, Lot, Tarn for hiking, cycling, horse riding, white water sports, and Tarn et Garonne form the largest region in river tourism on the Canal du Midi and other France. Famous for its enthusiastic combination waterways, plus skiing and snowsports in the of heritage and quality of life, Midi-Pyrénées is a Pyrenees. region full of vitality and bursting with ideas and innovations: Toulouse, France's second university Great figures through history city and Europe's aerospace capital, is home to Toulouse-Lautrec, Champollion, Pierre-Paul Riquet, the vast factories of Airbus, the world's leading Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, the aviation pio - aircraft manufacturer. neers: a host of great figures from history have given Midi-Pyrénées an outstanding heritage that The Great Tourist Sites in Midi-Pyrénées lives on today in what they have left behind. Midi-Pyrénées owes its fame to 25 Great Tourist Sites known all over the world, including Millau Via - Great features of the region duct, the Pic du Midi with its astronomical obser - The home of Roquefort, foie gras, the Quercy vatory, the Cirque de Gavarnie (a UNESCO World black truffle, saffron and some hundred other Heritage Site), the great Catholic pilgrimage site quality-certified products, Midi-Pyrénées is also a of Lourdes, Albi and the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, land of vineyards that boasts 8 AOCs and a tra - Cahors and the Pont Valentré, but also Conques, dition of quality craftsmanship. What's more, Midi- Rocamadour, Moissac, and a host of others… Pyrénées hosts around a hundred festivals, some of which are world-famous, such as the Jazz in The Great Outdoors Marciac festival, the Country Music Festival in One of France's sunniest regions (with an average Mirande, the Sylvanès Festival of Religious Music, of 2,000 hours of sunshine every year), Midi-Pyrénées and Rio Loco in Toulouse. KEY FACTS AND FIGURES Population: Surface area: Capital: Toulouse, population nearly 2.9 million. 45,348 km2, 439,000 . making it France's biggest region. 8 départements: Ariège, The third most important France's sixth most Aveyron, Gers, Haute Garonne, non-coastal tourist region on important tourist region on the Hautes Pyrénées, Lot, Tarn and the national market, after international market, with 4.3% Tarn et Garonne. Rhône-Alpes and Ile de France. of the market share. 15.7 million 85.9 million 33,500 salaried visitors. bed-nights. jobs generated by tourism. THE GREAT TOURIST SITES IN MIDI-PYRÉNÉES: Toulouse, Canal des Deux Mers, Luchon, Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges – Val - cabrère, The Ariège Collection: the Niaux and Mas d’Azil caves, Saint Lizier, Foix, Montségur, Mirepoix), Rodez, Millau Viaduct, Conques, Villefranche-de- Rouergue – N ajac, Auch, Marciac, Flaran-Baïse-Armagnac, Pic du Midi, Caute - rets-Pont d’Espagne, Cirque de Gavarnie, Lourdes, Cahors, Rocamadour, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie – Pech Merle, Figeac, Dordogne Valley, Sorèze – Revel – Saint-Ferréol, the source of the Canal du Midi, Albi, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Moissac. Press kit 3 WHAT'S NEW IN MIDI-PYRÉNÉES Around town SO TOULOUSE 'PASS TOURISME' SIGHTSEEING PASS With the new Pass Tourisme valid for 1, 2 or 3 days, visitors sightseeing in La ville rose are entitled to free or reduced-rate admission to 34 major tou - rist attractions. The idea couldn't be simpler: by buying a Pass Tourisme for the duration of their choice, visitors can use the Tisséo public transport network (metro, buses and trams throughout the Toulouse conurbation) free of charge and have free or reduced-rate admission to a host of at - tractions (subject to availability). The Pass Tou - risme is on sale at Toulouse Tourist Office and Tisséo ticket outlets (Airport, Arènes, Jean-Jaurès, Marengo-SNCF, Basso-Cambo and Capitole). - 1 day: €18 - 2 days: €25 - 3 days: €32. Airport shuttle option + €2. http://www.toulouse-tourisme.com/Envie-de/Decouverte/Tous-les-evenements/Pass-tourisme TOULOUSE GREETERS Toulouse Tourist Office has decided to develop an alternative form of tourism that is particularly suited to foreign visitors and young travellers: to complement the existing tourism offering, a network of Gree - ters was formed last autumn to get a new participatory form of hospitality off the ground, a free service based on cultural exchange and volunteer participation. From spring 2013, this new 'non-commercial' offe - ring will team up sightseeing tourists with Toulouse locals who have signed up for the scheme and are willing to show visitors their side of their home city. The Greeters are simply locals who volunteer to show guests around their city and introduce them to its cultural delights. www.toulouse-tourisme.com OPENING OF 'TERRE DE PASTEL', THE FIRST MUSEUM-AND- Another woad innovation with a new anti-ageing treatment SPA COMPLEX Graine de Pastel has launched a brand new range of anti-ageing treatments. Fol - A spa of 700 m2 designed to provide lowing 10 years of research, the cosmetics brand and the Institut National Poly - facial and body treatments using technique de Toulouse have registered a patent for the use of a woad extract with products containing woad oil (cosme - anti-ageing properties in beauty care products. tics supplied by the Graine de Pastel www.grainedepastel.com brand) will soon be opening in Labège, just 10 minutes from Toulouse city centre. This unique spa, the first of its kind, will comprise a swimming pool, solarium, steam bath and sauna and a 400m2 museum about the history of the plant that brought great wealth to the Toulouse region, plus a gift shop and restaurant with 80 co - vers. The complex, called 'Terre de Pastel', is due to open in summer 2013. Press kit 4 WHAT'S NEW IN MIDI-PYRÉNÉES CIRCUS ARTS IN AUCH CIRCa, the National Centre for Circus Arts in Auch, has just acquired a facility found nowhere else in France. The Centre d’Innovation et de Recherche Circassien (CIRC) which recently opened in Auch is a centre for experimentation dedicated entirely to the circus arts. This large facility on the site of the former Espagne Barracks (the military district first de - veloped back in 1826) is right in the centre of town and along the Gers riverside and comprises a rehearsal room, accom - modation for visiting circus performers and an area large enough to erect two temporary big tops. CIRC also boasts a permanent big top, the Dôme de Gascogne, where artists will work on and perform their routines. www.circa.auch.fr Show «Coléomur» Cie 9.81 History time MAY 2013: A NEW INSIGHT INTO THE MAS D’AZIL CAVE A Great Tourist Site in Midi-Pyrénées as part of the 'Ariège, 14,000 years of history' collection, the Mas-d’Azil Cave is undergoing a full enhancement and safety programme. Following several renovation phases, the 300m2 reception building containing a fun, scientific visitor exhibition now features new facilities enabling vi - sitors to embark on a virtual exploration of the inaccessible galleries containing cave paintings, find out about the geological formation of the cave, learn about cave bears and how prehistoric man lived and dis - cover the work of the archeologists who excavated the site and the vast project to build the road there. In addition, during the summer of 2013 the cave will be holding an exhibition by the American video artist Gary Hill, whose work has already been featured at Le Mas d’Azil in the Dreamtime contemporary art exhibitions. www.grotte-masdazil.com THE PARC DE LA PRÉHISTOIRE FEATURES THE ANIMALS OF THE ICE AGE Located in the heart of some of the most beautiful scenery in the Pyrenees, the Parc de la Préhistoire is a must-see complement to anyone visiting the cave at Niaux. A fascinating interpretation centre dedicated to prehistory, the Parc has had a habit of making a splash with exhibitions about how Magdalenian man lived, taking a fun and sometimes off-beat but always extremely revealing look at the lifestyle and art of prehistoric man. The next exhibition, planned for summer 2013, will feature the giant animals of the Ice Age, with a life-size reconstruction of the steppe during the Magdalenian era. www.sesta.fr DOMUS D’ELUSA: NEW INTERPRETATION CENTRE SET TO OPEN Eauze and Montréal du Gers are two important archeologi - cal sites around just fifteen kilometres apart that are soon to be brought together by a new archeology interpretation centre covering both sites. Séviac Villa at Montréal (a Histo - rical Monument) is a grand 4th century Roman villa, and Domus d’Elusa at Eauze is one of the France's biggest ar - cheological reserves (16 ha).