Community of communes of the Montagne Noire: tourism, culture and sport

Yannick Dufour-Loriolle, vice-president of the Community of Communes (CDC) of Montagne Noire, is responsible for an important part of the development of the mountain massif: tourism, culture, sport and social living space. It explains the directions chosen to develop these activities. Meeting with the manager in charge of this file.

Is the space to develop large?

I must admit that it is a big vice-presidency with everything related to tourist and cultural development for the community of municipalities. I am responsible for strengthening social bonds and collective dynamics in the region.

How to develop these functions?

With the associations, with the tourist office which is included in the CDC, which is no longer an association and which has an operating council. Different commissions will be created to avoid duplication with people who want to join them.

What resources will be made available?

There is the tourist office which will manage its area with two full-time equivalents; personally, I will work with the associations and, for sport, I work with Axel Blain, in charge of sports at the community of municipalities. It is Aurélie Resplandy who is responsible for the social life space, with culture. The work is done in collaboration with CDC staff and with communications referent Robin Hurtado.

What is the goal?

The objective is to attract more visitors to the region; in fact, to bring to life all the infrastructures of the massif. We want to promote tourist sites and strengthen the attractiveness of the Montagne Noire.

However, the sports associations on the Montagne Noire are few in number.

Of course, there are football clubs like the USMN, Les Martys, the Cabardès group with Pezens, BV Sports in Brousses. Leisure-relaxation takes precedence over sport.

And in project?

I plan to develop tourism by incorporating the municipalities into the objective, some of which already have their infrastructures, such as the Laprade-Basse lake, which can host sporting events. Preserving the natural character of the territory remains our priority. And other projects can develop on Lampy, for example. We have just inaugurated the 15 kilometer 5 Elements trail. Soon, there will be the inauguration of the Atac mountain bike route; hikes, permanent orienteering races. Everything will be operational by next year. These are goals that are slowly being implemented.