Towards more responsible tourism
In 2019, Our city was awarded first place for European Capital of Smart Tourism, along with Helsinki. This award is granted by the European Union to reward the most innovative and responsible cities in terms of tourism. Respect for heritage and the environment, a driving force for inclusion and accessibility...
What is responsible tourism in Lyon?
In addition to respecting the environment, which is of course essential, it is also about cultivating the well-being of residents and visitors, making offers accessible to all, and to ensure the authenticity of the experience by bringing people together.
It also means allowing everyone to benefit from this practice in a beneficial cycle that creates business, and generates meaning for all those involved and pride for visitors and residents alike.
Respectful tourism
In order to preserve local living conditions, Lyon is committed to promoting its heritage and ensuring that tourists and local residents live together in harmony, particularly through mediation.
The Lyon City Helpers provide an initial tourist welcome at strategic locations for local, national and international visitors. You can find them, for example, at the entrances of the famous Traboules of Old Lyon, where they ensure that the Charter of Good Practices for visiting the historical site of Lyon is respected.
Inclusive tourism
Winner of the European Commission’s 2018 Access City Award, the city of Lyon places accessibility at the heart of the urban experience, offering a trip that is open to all audiences, budgets, and preferences.
Visiting Lyon also means sharing moments with its residents. The Greeters de Lyon network has been growing for ten years and promotes a new form of tourism that is more welcoming and based on voluntary work, cultural exchange and generosity.
Tourism that promotes low-impact transport
Low-impact transport (cycling, rollerblading, walking, etc.) is becoming increasingly popular in the Lyon Metropole. The growth of cycle tourism is a strategic development for the city, which is located at the crossroads of two major cycling routes, namely the Viarhôna, which goes from Geneva to the Mediterranean, and la Voie Bleue - Saône-Moselle, linking Luxembourg and Lyon.
Since 2019, ONLYLYON Tourist office and Convention Bureau has rolled out the national label, Accueil Vélo. This label promotes professionals in the tourism industry that are involved with helping cycle tourists find accommodations, restaurants, sites, rental companies and repair shops, offering guidance to help them meet their specific needs.
Reasoned tourism
In 2010, Lyon created the Lyon, Fair and Sustainable City label. The only one of its kind in France, this label seeks to promote an economy that is local, mindful of the environment, social and communal. On our end, ONLYLYON Tourisme is the first tourist office to commit to a process in order to obtaining the ADEME environmental label.
Sustainable tourism
In 2019, Lyon joined the GDS-Index (Global Destination Sustainability Index), a performance improvement programme aimed at increasing sustainability for the business tourism and events industries. With a score of 55%, Lyon ranks 1st in France.
Local tourism
Since 2010, ONLYLYON Tourisme has set up several tools in order to promote local tourism.
The Lyon City Card 365 is a variation of the classic Lyon City Card, specifically designed for Lyon’s residents. The pass allows you to discover 3 cultural or touristic activities over a year, and includes a guided tour to (re)discover the city!
The “My weekend in Lyon” diary, created for its residents, is a calendar that lists all events and festivals taking place in the Lyon Metropole and provides great local outing ideas for the weekend.
In the same spirit, only this time geared towards gastronomy, ONLYLYON Tourisme has created an innovative tool to promote Lyon’s culinary scene. “C’est Lyon qui Régale !” (It’s Lyon’s treat) is an online gourmet diary that lists more than 200 culinary events throughout the year.
Innovative tourism
Lyon uses innovation and digitalisation to enhance the quality of the customer experience in order to ensure that a trip to Lyon is an unforgettable one! As such, ONLYLYON Tourisme has launched a ground-breaking initiative, the only one of its kind in Europe: ONLYLYON Expérience, a destination CRM that aims to build an emotional, long-lasting and profitable relationship with local, national and international visitors. ONLYLYON Expérience draws on ONLYLYON Tourism’s customer databases as well as those of its partners, such as hoteliers and activity providers, in order to offer quality digital support to all who visit. One of the objectives of the initiative is to better disperse the flow of Lyon’s visitors by encouraging them to discover places off the beaten track.
Peaceful tourism
In 2020, the Lyon Metropole and ONLYLYON Tourisme joined forces to create the “Peace of Mind Charter, Together to care for each other”. This commitment charter is intended for all of the city’s professionals who are involved in welcoming visitors, such as accommodation providers, restaurant owners, site managers and other shopkeepers. The goal is to provide support to visitors through each step of their trip, in regard to the mandated health measures for Covid-19, and to help them identify socially-committed businesses throughout Lyon thanks to a specific logo.
The development of responsible tourism in Lyon and its surroundings, a process that has already been in place for several years, is based on two initiatives that are regularly monitored to meet the defined objectives.
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