Does Cela limit promotion?
No. We really reviewed the entire tourism strategy in the region, proposing three strong themes to which the partners can hold on. This is work over several years.
What are they?
We have “Lands of flavors” to highlight local products and local know-how. Our territory has 300 producers. Wine tourism is developing quite a bit, with around a dozen vineyards. We want to offer the discovery of one product per season. In spring, it will be honey on April 25 and May 9 at a beekeeper in Terwagne. And in summer, it will be the icing at the Ferme des Hêtres de Berloz.
It’s hard to imagine a theme without highlighting the natural wealth present.
That’s it. With “Terres d’évasion”, we are more in slow tourism, sustainable tourism, soft mobility, with in particular 140 marked walks which are the responsibility of the municipalities. We already have a slow tourism product at the Burdinale-Mehaigne Natural Park, but the idea is to make a census to further develop this theme.
And the last one?
It’s “Terres de châteaux” which is becoming a bit of our hobby horse. Our territory has more than a hundred castles. Only those of Modave, Jehay and Moha are open to the public almost all year round. It’s not huge. Quite a few others have the desire to develop tourism. I’m thinking of that of Fallais. We are going to make a census of all the castles, which will be a flagship product to then promote what is around. For example, it could be the castle motte of Remicourt which is linked to the museum right next door.
Is this already leading to something concrete this year?
Yes. We are implementing a new concept: “Stopovers in castles”. There will be four picnic dates in castles with visits, guided walks, access to the park, sometimes inside in collaboration each time with a partner. We start on May 24 at the Château d’Ochain with the “Entre eaux et châteaux” tourist office located in Modave. On June 14, we will go to Jehay Castle with the GAL Jesuishesbignon.be which is organizing its market for local producers and artisans there. We will combine access to the park and a visit to the castle currently being restored. We really have an exclusivity. On July 21, we will go to Fort de Huy with a historical visit dedicated to the castle which preceded it. Finally, we will end on August 9 in Fallais with visits for families and discovery of the park through a mobile application. It’s a game that they created and that we tested as a group. This is called gamification.
Is this augmented reality through your smartphone a tool that is already very present?
Yes. We already use everything that is digital games with our mascot, “Allister de Meuse”, to discover Huy, Hannut and Waremme in an intrigue. We will also upgrade it with a Dutch translation within a fortnight. This year, we will even add the very beautiful Petit Modave promenade with emphasis on the nature aspect and the disappeared village which we will make reappear thanks to virtual reality. The plot will be based on the legend of the 12 solid silver statues hidden by the Duke of Montmorency.
Your Tourist Office is spoiled. It is spoiled for choice on its territory.
It’s true, there are a lot of things to do. Now, we need to stand out from neighboring territories and seek out a clientele in Brussels and the north of France. We need to provide an offer that is truly turnkey and structured as with “Escales en châteaux”. The objective is to become a castle destination. We will not be the Loire, we agree. But there are things to do on our scale. Also, we know that the people of Brussels like to go green in the Ardennes. With all the beautiful things we have to offer in terms of nature, the challenge is to get them to stop off with us.
By the way, where do tourists come from in Terres-de-Meuse?
Still mainly from the province of Liège and the rest of Wallonia. Then we will say Flanders, the Netherlands and France. Germany a little less.
How many people does this amount to?
In 2024, in terms of attractions and museums, there were just over 500,000 visitors. Which is already frankly huge. As for the people who inquired at the information points, there are between 10,000 and 12,000 visitors. This varies from year to year. I think that the inhabitants of our territory do not necessarily realize that there are so many tourists.
With an essential supply of housing. Does it satisfy you?
Yes. We mainly have lodges, a few guest rooms too, a few fewer hotels. In total, we have a little more than 230 certified accommodations which are valued by our tourist organizations. Which corresponds to 3,800 beds. It’s really not bad. On average, the length of stay is approximately two to three nights. Then we also have the Capfun campsite located in Burdinne and which attracts a lot of people, including quite a few French people. There are obviously periods when accommodation is almost all full. I’m thinking of the Flèche Wallonne.
Let’s come to the tourist season which begins this Easter weekend in Huy.
And not just in Huy! In Huy, this will be done in two stages. The official launch takes place this weekend with the opening of major attractions, such as the cable car. But the more festive part will be for April 11 and 12 with more activities such as musical cruises on the Val Mosan boat or a day of adventure at the fort. We will also have the opening of the Septennial Festival program with a concert at the collegiate church.
Is a year with Septennials always notable in terms of tourist numbers?
Yes, clearly. I have no doubts about that. The programming is really great. And then, as these festivals only come back every 7 years, there is a side of “you shouldn’t miss them”.
In which other municipalities will we also launch the tourist season this weekend?
In Waremme, we will have the spring village with its gourmet chalets on Place Albert 1er, an egg hunt… Hannut will begin its small markets on the first Sunday of each month from April to October. And in Condroz, the tourist office will start with its melting hike departing from Pont-de-Bonne.
Can other new features be expected in 2026?
It was recently inaugurated, but I am thinking of the “From grain to bread” museum space at the Moulin de Ferriéres in Héron. And in Waremme, at the Explorer’s Camp and its cabinet of curiosities in Hexapoda from April 23. Internally, for our magazine as for the website, we have broken down our tourist resources by theme to be more in the experience: “What to do when the weather is nice” and “What to do when it rains”… which is really well consulted.
Cities and municipalities are under financial pressure with budgetary economy reforms. Do you fear that they will invest less in the tourist offer and the maintenance of heritage?
It’s possible. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. In fact, we organize networking days where aldermen are invited so that they can see the dynamics in place. This leaves a door open to future projects. Some aldermen do not hesitate to contact us with the desire to develop one thing or another. And this is where we are useful too. We have this role of aiding development.
