PORTRAITS
ACTORS AND PIONEERS OF NATURAL TOURISM
A pioneering spirit is an integral part of the actors involved in the tourism sector particularly in the development of ecotourism in a sustainable way with environmental
protection as I have seen with Sabrina BENCHEMERI Director of the ZENAGE ECOENTREPRENEURS agency in parallel with the guides of the ECOVOYAGEURS and VOYAGEONS AUTREMENT agencies and Marc SORCI Founder and manager of ONEROADTRIP tours and trips digital platform.
“In fact, my passion for nature and its environment became clear from the age of 9, and then in the following years
through advanced training in ecology and ecotourism, complementing my professional experiences which led me to
work, in particular, at the natural history museum, in parallel with my travels around the world which gave me an
understanding of sustainable development , ecology and environmental protection" explains to me Sabrina
BENCHEMERI as she receives me on the terrace of her office, which boasts a superb view of the Giens peninsula.
The awareness of global economic regulation integrating environmental data is recent and is giving rise to bold and long-term initiatives within the framework of projects innovative and useful for our planet as was the case in 2016 with
the creation by Sabrina of the ZENAGE ECO-ENTREPRENEURS agency .
"This project is part of a multifaceted approach
designed to support my partners and customers on the enhancement of their territories and environments from a
great perspective including a development strategy that often unfolds across four themes: project development facilitating a local network of stakeholders and partners, anchoring and structuring the project around values in
complement to training in good ecotourism practices, which are essential data in the future success of the projects that
I am led and supported."
Companies specializing in tourism, territorial and local authorities, natural parks, group of
municipalities, the range of partners and customers is broad and diverse allowing for harmonious development to
reinvent these places as destinations of happiness or where life is good, as Sabrina tells me.
"For example, I have
intervened in recent years in the Cévennes and Mercantour natural parks in the Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte
d'Azur regions within the framework and the development of these two large areas incorporating notions of sustainable
development and enhancement of the local wildlife in these two territories, particularly along trails and circuits, allows for the observation and approach of three protected species reintroduced in recent years: the wolf in the PACA region and the eagle and the vulture in the Occitanie region. My work also involves a rigorous methodology in its application
which allows for I help my customers define a guideline that is well-balanced with ecotourism practices, while also providing videoconference training to support them in these practices exploring territories with their rich cultural and
historical heritage , interspersed with radiant landscapes and active encounters, is pleasant and educational, but developing these places from a broader perspective, integrating environmental data imbued with the values of ecotourism, allows us to approach nature in all its noblest aspects".
Nature And Practical Travel Packages
“Our projects are part of a multifaceted approach designed to support our clients and partners in the discovering
France through ethical and sustainable tourism with packages imbued with the values of ecotourism with its focus on
adventure and local characteristics, takes into account the diversity and variety of natural spaces, complemented by a magnificently preserved heritage and regional specificities that are a pleasure to discover for example honey production
and beekeeping in Auvergne Rhone Alpes or the reintroduction and preservation of animal species such as the European otter or the beaver in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region alongside respect of the biodiversity"
Told me Daniel ANSELIN
guide of the ECOVOYAGEURS network.
"In fact, the packages offered are tailor made stays in small groups with
destinations that are out of the ordinary off-the-beaten-path trails complemented by typical accommodations alongside
an immsersion in nature that one applies for example to the Volcanoes and Alps circuit based on 8 days including 7
stages over a length of 693 kilometers offering majestic views of lakes and gorges complemented by wildlife discovery
and the fauna and local flora"
shows me on a map
Marc SORCI, founder and director of the ONEROADTRIP platform
allowing everyone to build their own itinerary and including an average base of 157 itineraries in France.
"Ecotourism is also a way to discover and immerse oneself in unusual places that also require true very good physical conditions are
required, as is the case in Corsica with its steep mountains and coves wild landscapes and hilltop villages and with the
famous GR 20 hiking trail which crosses the island from north to south, are a paradise for hikers and for all those who
love natural based travel " Told me in smiling while showing me photos,
Pierre SELIER, guide of the VOYAGEONS AUTREMENT network.
In our ever- changing world, environmental data is often neglected, or despite recent
awareness, these efforts have been largely ignored, but it is reassuring to see that the pioneering spirit and taste for adventure are also complemented by creativity, with bold and innovative projects for the preservation of both here and
our environment which are only acts tinged with a few touches of color in the immense fresco of our globalized world but which have the merit of making us share their will for progress.
Report by: Gabriel PAGE
Photos credit: Gabriel PAGE / Getty Images
