What avenues are being considered to optimize the benefits of cruises in La Seyne? We take stock

With 72 cruise ship calls and some 250,000 passengers expected this season (from April to October) in La Seyne, cruises represent great opportunities for merchants. Especially since an average of a third of passengers disembark the ship to take a tour of the city and can spend several dozen euros during their visit on land. Are La Seyne's merchants benefiting from this windfall? A dozen of them* came to the town hall yesterday to share their expectations and talk with representatives of the town and the Chamber of Commerce.

Opening the meeting, Mayor Jo Minniti said: "To develop trade, we need you and you need us. We have a mutual interest. At our level, we are trying to bring people to the city center and to Les Sablettes; after that, it is up to you to capture this clientele."

The Martini car park taken advantage of

Concretely, what can the City do? "Intervene with the shipowners," explains the mayor. "Before, when people boarded at La Seyne, the company told them to park at Mayol and then take a ferry to get to the liner. As a result, they walked through Toulon and its port, where they could buy souvenirs before arriving here. To change this, and to encourage them to park and spend money in La Seyne, we reserved spaces for them at the Martini car park, where an average of a hundred spaces are available each day. " "Now, when they book, the shipowner tells them to park at Martini, and that's because they're doing more and more of them" (226 bookings since mid-April, according to the CCI). Moreover, adds Jo Minniti, "in addition to the Costa liner on Sundays, the P & O Cruises (Arvia) liner arrives every other Monday, with a clientele with significant means on board."

P&O more interesting than Costa

"Yes, this boat gives us a lot of work," confirms Sabrina Djelloul, from the Le Colbert bar (Quai Saturnin-Fabre). " P&O passengers consume more than Costa passengers, who have less purchasing power. That being said, " she adds, "our capacity is reduced. Since April, we have asked the town hall for an additional 4 m² of terrace to put out four or five more tables, but we have not received any response..."

Response from Yves Dimeglio, deputy mayor in charge of commerce: "We recently decided to occupy this space by installing craftsmen there on Mondays..." "While waiting for them to set up, Madam could benefit from this space," suggests Jo Minniti, whose proposal is accepted.

Adapting to layover days

"We," says Annick Richard , who runs an antiques shop on Place Perrin, "we see cruise passengers passing by, but they don't make any purchases. However, local bars have adapted their opening hours to accommodate them." "Yes," comments Jo Minniti, "before, when the boats arrived on Sundays or Mondays, shopkeepers said it was difficult for them to open because those were their days off. Today, there's a change in perception; and that's positive."

Not everything is the case, however. A shopkeeper points out that taxis are not traveling to pick up cruise passengers. Marie-Claude Argiolas, deputy in charge of tourism, confirms: " They prefer to provide medical transport and do not come to the ferry terminal. We are still trying to offer, with the tourist office, tourist tours with taxis; this is being implemented."

Ghost buses?

Another concern reported by the managers of the restaurant Le Père Louis, in Balaguier: "Some cruise passengers come to us... on foot. We need a shuttle between the port and Les Sablettes, with a stop in Balaguier." Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, however, state that when a boat arrives, a bus is available to provide "four rotations in the morning and as many in the afternoon to Les Sablettes." "That's good, but we never see them..." , replies Philippe Moreau , from the Esprit Sablettes shop. He nevertheless welcomes the restart for the summer of the 38 M maritime line (La Seyne Centre-Les Sablettes) : "It's a chance for the traders in the southern district, except that this service will stop at the end of August while P & O continues its stopovers until October..."

Ultimately, the meeting was well-received by the participants. "It was useful and interesting," said Hélène Campari, president of the Vitrines Seynoises retailers' association, "especially since it brought us together and brought us closer to the town hall."

*Many probably stayed in their stores to welcome... cruise passengers since a ship was in port yesterday.