In the center of Annecy, souvenir shops and restaurants have replaced local shops. So much so that some residents, who denounce overtourism, have the impression that they no longer recognize their own city.
“There are more and more tourists and fewer and fewer inhabitants, particularly due to the development of Airbnb and tourist accommodation furnished by companies, which has quadrupled in the last four or five years,” laments François Darot, a member of the association of inhabitants of the old town of Annecy. According to the city council, 60% of Aibrnb’s homes are concentrated in the old town.
The introduction of suspended quotas
In an attempt to curb the phenomenon, the Greater Annecy agglomeration had voted, in February 2023, to establish quotas for furnished tourist accommodation as of June 1. However, barely a month and a half after they came into force, the Grenoble administrative court, seized by the Annecy furniture union and the Haute-Savoie concierge union, decided to suspend them.
“We are very disappointed with this decision, so we will continue to fight in court,” reacted Alexandre Mulatier-Gachet, Annecy’s first deputy mayor.
To curb this excess tourism, residents and officials also want there to be no more tourist communication in Annecy.
Source: BFM TV
