“The ashes were raining on the roof of the store, it was scary”, recalls Lucas Pinau. The director of an Intermarché in La-Teste-de-Buch (Gironde), thought he saw his establishment go up in smoke, during the fires which ravaged several thousand hectares south of the Arcachon basin, in mid-July. If the sign was spared by the flames, a power outage which lasted several days broke the cold chain in the area of 3,000 m2. Result: 170,000 euros of goods gone in the trash. “The shelves were filled to anticipate the arrival of tourists, the trader is sorry, in the summer we double our turnover. »
Lucas Pinau is now facing a drop in footfall in his store, due to the departure of tourists: “- 32% over the month”compared to 2021. He was forced to put some of his seasonal workers on partial unemployment.
“For one euro spent on the campsite, it is estimated that three euros were spent outside” Franck Chaumes, Girondin president of the UMIH
As a result of the fire that burned 7,000 hectares in La-Teste-de-Buch, the local economy is suffering from the drop in the number of tourists, down 40% according to the Arcachon basin intermunicipal union (SIBA) , compared to last season. During the second half of July, the hotel sector thus experienced a wave of cancellations for reservations scheduled sometimes until September.
The drop in activity for this sector is around 40%, according to the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (UMIH), compared to 2021. “Not to mention the closure of the five Pyla campsites which were destroyed, and which alone welcomed around 10,000 people a day and supported the local economy”underlines Franck Chaumes, Girondin president of the UMIH. “For one euro spent on the campsite, it is estimated that three euros were spent outside, at the souvenir shop or at the bike rental company. »
A television spot
Yann Le Bihan is the manager of the eponymous company based in La-Teste-de-Buch, which markets drinks for the hotel and restaurant industry. The company usually makes half of its turnover in the basin, but this year it could be cut by nearly 250,000 euros. “I have lost a dozen customers, some of whom will not be able to reopen immediately, such as certain campsites which have been destroyed”explains the supplier.
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