Regional support for boating on the Loire

Centre-Loire Valley Region: a renewed intervention framework

Between 2007 and 2013 on the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage site, Centre-Loire Valley Regional Council allocated: 

• €197,312 in boatbuilding aid (traditional rivercraft scheme
• €35,800 in aid to operation of structures in place (CAP’Asso scheme)

During the course of 2014, at the request of the Centre Region, Mission Val de Loire gave thought to conditions for perpetuation and development of river tourism provided by traditional rivercraft, with a view to identifying ways of best accompanying the sector’s actors. 

Adopted on 20 March 2015 by the Regional Council’s Permanent Committee, the new intervention framework distinguishes between 2 types of measures: 

• on the one hand, aid to building and renovation of traditional boats (measure 1).
• on the other, a new measure providing aid to traditional rivercraft service-providers committed to a tourism development initiative (measure 2)

The new measure is designed to lend support to action programmes seeking to develop the service offer available to tourists: 

• actions to do with reception
• qualification of services
• accessibility and promotion of traditional rivercraft activities on the Loire
• and boarding areas.

The following spheres of expenditure are eligible for regional financing: 

• material investments (computer equipment, communication supports, developments aiming to improve reception, landscaping of surroundings, and signposting)
• training of and advice on human resources
• qualification and certification (accompaniment and diagnosis)
• advice on and support for marketing and promotion tools
• judicial and fiscal engineering

Regional subsidies will be set at a maximum of 60% of the total subsidisable budget, whatever the type of project owner (association, company, etc.). Regional subsidies will have a ceiling of €20,000 for measure 1 and €10,000 for measure 2. 

Applications are examined by the Regional Council’s Tourism Directorate. 

Download:

• Nouveau cadre d’intervention pour la batellerie traditionnelle de Loire (PDF, 79.22 kB)

Pays de la Loire: the Loire by boat

Following the Loire and its Estuary Conference that it organised in 2011-2012, the Pays de la Loire Region drew up a joint action plan for the Loire and its estuary, Action 9 of which is “Putting tourists on the Loire”. In this context, Pays de la Loire Regional Agency has been running a network of 15 Loire boating professionals for the last two years.
  

Actions for 2015 concern: 

• promotion of offers on the enpaysdelaloire.com regional tourism website,with:
  • referencing of Loire boats and shuttles
  • ideas for excursions combining boat trips, other visits and green transport
  • a selection of stays (in preparation for the upcoming season)
• drafting of a leaflet to be disseminated to tourist offices and major service providers
• setup of communal signposting: a number of professionals and a local authority have answered the “500 projects for the territories” call for regional projects supporting creation and acquisition of totems to be installed at 20 embarkation points

On the web:

• La Loire en bateau