There are some pieces of news you just want to shout from the seafront. This is one of them: the Trouville-sur-Mer Tourist and Development Office has just been awarded the label Destination of Excellenceawarded by Atout France.
This recognition acknowledges months of work, listening and adjustments, carried out by a whole team convinced that a good welcome is something that is built up.
What is the Destination of Excellence label?
Since May 2024, a new state label has been structuring the quality of tourism in France. It is called Destination d'Excellence (Destination of Excellence), and it is gradually replacing the Qualité Tourisme (Quality Tourism) brand, which is scheduled to be phased out at the end of 2026.
Fundamentally, the philosophy remains the same: to guarantee visitors a welcome and services that meet their expectations, wherever they choose to stay in France. But the real innovation lies in the introduction of a groundbreaking eco-responsibility pillar, with concrete, quantifiable criteria regarding energy, water, waste, and sustainable mobility. This sends a clear message: the quality of tourist services is no longer measured solely by the smile at the reception desk, but also by how a destination cares for its environment.
To obtain it, a tourist office is audited on all aspects of its operation: physical and telephone reception, quality of information provided, digital presence, management of visitor reviews, but also on internal environmental practices.
Our results
The Atout France audit has delivered its verdict, and we are particularly proud of it:
✔️ Quality Pillar: 96,13%
This pillar assesses everything that contributes to the quality of contact with the visitor, from the first message sent before their stay to their last visit to the office before hitting the road again:
- a process of continuous improvement of our tools and resources.
- the reliability and timeliness of the information transmitted, both on site and online;
- listening to and taking into account the needs and feedback of visitors;
- the consistency and quality of the welcome across all channels: counter, telephone, social networks, website;
And let's be honest: even in the age of AI, nothing replaces a human welcome, a genuine smile, and information verified by people who know their area like the back of their hand. 😄
🌱 Eco-responsible Pillar: 87,50%
This is the newest addition to the label, the one that pushes tourist offices to look beyond simply welcoming visitors and to examine their own operations:
- sorting and reducing waste;
- promoting soft mobility among our visitors, in a destination where you can do everything on foot or by bike;
- raising awareness among our local partners and service providers about these issues;
- more restrained internal practices on a daily basis.
Two scores that place Trouville-sur-Mer among the most advanced Normandy destinations on this new benchmark.
What does this change, in concrete terms?
Obtaining this label is not about winning a trophy to put in a display case. It is first and foremost the official recognition of a standard that the team sets for itself every day, and a framework for continuing to progress: listening better, informing better, and supporting the destination towards more responsible tourism.
Teamwork above all
This distinction is first and foremost a testament to the combined efforts of all the services at the Tourist Office—reception, communications, events, and administration—each contributing at their own level to this commitment to quality: reception, communications, events, and administration. A huge thank you also to OTN, the Regional Federation of Tourist Offices of Normandy, for his invaluable support throughout this process.
A great motivation to continue, season after season, to make Trouville-sur-Mer a destination that takes care of its visitors as much as its territory.
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