Hugo Alvarez to tourism professionals gathered in Cap d'Agde: “we have a diversity of offers to promote in this territory”

Originaire de la région paloise, Hugo Alvarez va poser ses valises au Cap d’Agde. MIDI LIBRE – MICHEL DESNOS

The new director of the tourist office will take up his duties on March 10.

He was in Agde last week, on the occasion of the tourist office's New Year's greetings to the sector's stakeholders, at the Château Laurens: Hugo Alvarez, 35, a graduate of Normale Sup' and current vice-director of Atout France, the agency responsible for the State's tourism strategy, was officially presented by the president of the Agglo Sébastien Frey, alongside his now predecessor, Christian Bèzes.

For this native of the Pau region, the opportunity not only to meet his future colleagues, but also to say “ [his] pride” to take over the management of the Cap d’Agde Méditerranée intercommunal tourist office, “a responsibility, because you are not just any destination.” Territorial identity, leadership to defend in the face of aggressive destinations, the attractiveness of Cap d’Agde… he briefly outlined the roadmap set out at the microphone, before giving everyone a date for March 10, the date he will take up his post. Between two requests, he also took a few minutes to give his first interview to Midi Libre.

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This was your second official meeting in Agde, after attending Mayor Sébastien Frey’s New Year’s greetings on January 10, where you had already met many people. What are your first impressions? ?

First of all, I appreciate getting to know a team that seems very motivated, supportive, and close-knit. And when I talk about a team, I don’t just mean the tourist office, but the entire tourism team in the area. I’m discovering people who are passionate about their heritage, the assets, and the tourist assets that they want to continue to promote, to put the Cap d’Agde Méditerranée destination on the European tourism map. As a newcomer, it’s a chance.

The riches of this territory, whether natural or heritage, have surprised you?

I knew the seaside area because I went there when I was younger, but today for example (Thursday January 23, Editor's note), I discovered this extraordinary Château Laurens. I also walked around Pézenas, Nézignan-l'Évêque too, which is one of the little gems of the area with its circular path. Cap d'Agde is a driving force but behind that, we have a diversity to promote with gastronomy, heritage, culture. If we want to attract more people on the wings of the season, we have to look for niches. And everything that is culture, wine tourism, gastronomy, is what will attract new customers in the spring or autumn, for example.

President Sébastien Frey insists on the theme of four-season tourism. What does this inspire in you?

On this point, I strongly believe in the event aspect. Through my role at Atout France, I have been able to see that what works very well on a national scale are events that combine high-level or mass sport with culture or wine tourism, for example. The diversity offered by this territory will allow us to organize unique events. We are seeing more and more, on the wings of the season, customers who come looking for an experience, more than a destination. They will first hear about a new event, without really worrying about the place where it is organized. This trend is particularly strong among the under-35s. The idea is to transform these “excursionists” into tourists, that is to say, to convince them to spend a little more time in the territory. To make them say to themselves: “even if I have to take the car, I’ll spend a night there.” It’s good for hosts and restaurateurs.

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