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Strategy and objectives
Since its inception, the ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ network has had as its statutory objectives to preserve and promote the heritage of its member villages in order to raise their profile and thereby foster their economic development.
To fulfil these objectives, the scheme structures its activities around three strategic pillars that form a virtuous circle: Quality, Profile, Development.
QUALITY
This is the cornerstone of the ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ network’s strategy, upon which the villages’ reputation and the scheme’s credibility are based. It is reflected in:
> The selection of candidate villages
Conducted according to a rigorous and demanding process (pre-selection based on applications, on-site assessment, a vote by the Quality and Labelling Committee, and the signing of the Quality, Heritage and Environmental Charter).
> The periodic re-assessment of listed villages
Designed to ensure, in the long term, that local authorities remain committed to upholding the promise embodied by the designation ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’.
> The exchange of experiences and the identification of best practice within the network
Which, through technical workshops or field visits, feeds into a quality database that benefits all listed villages.
> Partnerships with local authorities
which, as exemplified by the partnership with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region , provide direct technical and financial support to the villages for their development or heritage enhancement projects.
REPUTATION
Bolstered by the high-quality image of its network and guaranteed by a registered trademark, the reputation of villages classified among ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ serves as a springboard for their economic development. It is built up through several areas of communication and promotion:
> The promotion of the association’s visual identity
Promoted through official signage (village entrance signs) and theuse of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France® for institutional communication or tourism promotion, it acts as a genuine ‘calling card’ for every listed village.
> Media relations
From a village’s classification to the publication of the new official guide, via institutional events, systematic and regular communication with the national and regional press helps to raise public awareness of the villages and the label’s approach.
> The creation of resources to help people discover the villages
Whether in the form ofco-produced (the Flammarion Tourist Guide, the MICHELIN road map) or digital media (website, newsletter, social media: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / LinkedIn) designed to promote Les Plus Beaux Villages de France as a destination or places to live.
> The protection and promotion of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France® brand
Essential to ensuring that the villages retain the competitive advantage conferred by their classification, the registration of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France® trademark with the National Institute of Industrial Property and the monitoring of its use go hand in hand with its marketing exploitation (licensing, partnerships, etc.).
DEVELOPMENT
The final stage of the strategy, the economic development of the villages is a key challenge not only for retaining the local population but also for preserving the heritage. Always designed in line with the network’s brand image and based on local resources, the label’s development mission involves:
> Monitoring the villages
This enables us, using a number of geographical and economic indicators and information gathered through surveys, to measure how villages have changed (in terms of population, activities, tourist numbers, etc.) between the time of their classification and that of their re-assessment.
> Engaging local stakeholders
This is essential to the success of any development initiative, which relies on the commitment of tourist information centres, associations, tourism professionals and others to the concept and projects promoted by the label, and to their organisation as a network.
> Promoting and marketing the tourism offering
Which aims, through an online marketplace, to connect visitors directly with service providers in the villages or, through the loyalty scheme dedicated to ‘Friends of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’, to attract individual guests all year round.
> The coordination of events showcasing the local area and local skills
Such as the ‘Marché aux Vins des Plus Beaux Villages de France®’ (in Rodemack, Moselle) and the European Artistic Crafts Days (in partnership with the Institut National des Métiers d’Art), which offer producers, artists and craftspeople the opportunity to benefit from the economic benefits of their village’s classification.
Download the articles of association for Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.
