With 53.9 million skier-days, France ranks second in the world for winter tourism, just behind the United States. In the 1960s and 1970s, winter tourism in the mountains grew considerably in France, with the construction of winter sports resorts as part of the government’s winter sports plans. One of the consequences of this policy of resort development was to make mountain areas heavily dependent on skiing. The report published today analyses the effects of climate change on mountain resorts in particular, and examines the extent to which they have adapted. A total of 42 resorts - spread across the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Jura - were examined by an inter-
jurisdictional panel (FIJ) comprising the Court of Accounts and the regional audit chambers (CRC) of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. In addition, the creation of a database of 200 resorts has enabled a more exhaustive statistical analysis to be carried out. While the survey shows that the French ski business model is in decline, it also highlights the fact that public policies to adapt it are not up to the challenge, and makes six recommendations aiming at finding appropriate ways to diversify.
