In October 2025, Val-de-Marne Tourism and the prospect of its closure unsettled institutional tourism.
A sector weakened by budget cuts by local authorities, due to the government’s belt-tightening measures, and also by a reevaluation of the usefulness of such structures by some politicians, all happening amid the rise of artificial intelligence.
But that planned end took time to come, and then the inevitable arrived at the end of last September.
“I find it incomprehensible that a department could close an institution like this.
Before reaching that point, the first appearance of the body before the judicial court took place in July 2026, when a safeguard procedure was opened. The body hopes to find a solution.
Time passes, still with no funds for Val-de-Marne Tourism, until the sentence on September 29, 2026.
A sector weakened by budget cuts by local authorities, due to the government’s belt-tightening measures, and also by a reevaluation of the usefulness of such structures by some politicians, all happening amid the rise of artificial intelligence.
But that planned end took time to come, and then the inevitable arrived at the end of last September.
“I find it incomprehensible that a department could close an institution like this.
The departmental tourism committee gave us a lot. It provided bookings, visibility, and also tourism that we had trouble capturing, as well as trade show organization, etc.
I don’t know how, now, we will manage without it
“, exclaimed Christophe Arietano, president of the Val-de-Marne Hotelier Club.Before reaching that point, the first appearance of the body before the judicial court took place in July 2026, when a safeguard procedure was opened. The body hopes to find a solution.
Time passes, still with no funds for Val-de-Marne Tourism, until the sentence on September 29, 2026.
Val-de-Marne Tourisme: 12 employees laid off, the ecosystem weakened
It was decided to simply liquidate the organization, which was deprived of its annual subsidy of 900,000 euros.
Moreover, all 12 employees received their termination letters, with no re-employment offers from the department. Their contracts will be definitively ended in a few days.
Behind this, the entire departmental tourism ecosystem is left fragile.
“During Rendez-Vous en France, we represented the hoteliers of Val-de-Marne. From today, it will no longer be possible for us to attend this kind of event.
Anyway, nothing else will happen and the hotelier club will become inactive.
I had indicated in a letter that, as soon as the departmental tourism committee disappeared, the hotelier club would follow, unless someone took it over. I do not know what it will develop without its best asset
“, laments the innkeeper.And the case of Val-de-Marne Tourism is not isolated in France.
Before it, there was the Pays de la Loire case, and ahead is Gironde Tourism, whose closure is set for the end of 2026.
One rung lower, in Cotentin, four visitor offices among the least visited were also slated for closure, but this decision was ultimately postponed to allow time to reach an agreement with the municipalities concerned.
The institutional sector appears durably weakened. At ADN Tourisme 2025’s congress, financing was on everyone’s lips and “a collective anxiety emanated from both leaders and employees.”
Un year later, it has not improved.
“Indeed, the revenues of CDT and CRT come largely from the supervising authorities. In the context of the public finances we know (with rising charges), the funding of our structures is therefore a real concern with its impacts: disappearance of structures or a clear degradation of the capacity to act“, summarizes Olivier Amblard, administrator of ADN Tourisme.
The department notes that the association was increasingly dependent on the subsidy it provided, which financed notably the entire payroll.
Val-de-Marne Tourisme: where do the 700,000 euros from the tourist tax actually go?
A figure contested internally, with talk of 70 to 80 percent depending on the year, the rest coming from local businesses and other authorities.
The department’s financial situation, however, is not in question: its debt has reached a record level of 1.221 trillion euros.
As with households, when wallets empty and fill again too slowly, in departments and regions, the first expense to take a hit is none other than tourism.
“The situation is difficult for employees, especially after the long procedure, and it is also challenging for local actors, because the work carried out by the structure will not be resumed. Tourism is not a mandatory competence for communities.
In 2024, the president of Val-de-Marne, Olivier Capitanio, already spoke of a financial “asphyxiation” of the community, confronted with the drop in transfer duties on real estate transactions (DMTO).
Meanwhile, many expenses have now fallen to this administrative tier.
Since then, the worst of the financial crisis seems to have passed, even if the 2026 budget, up by more than 28 million euros remains “under pressure” and with no “visibility“, still according to the assessments of its president.
A recovery that has not, therefore, allowed saving the departmental tourism committee (CDT) and its €900,000 subsidy.
It would have been possible to redirect the tourist tax money, estimated at around €800,000, to Val-de-Marne Tourism, but that path was not chosen by the policymakers.
The department’s financial situation, however, is not in question: its debt has reached a record level of 1.221 trillion euros.
As with households, when wallets empty and fill again too slowly, in departments and regions, the first expense to take a hit is none other than tourism.
“The situation is difficult for employees, especially after the long procedure, and it is also challenging for local actors, because the work carried out by the structure will not be resumed. Tourism is not a mandatory competence for communities.
Territories facing budget cuts are refocusing on their mandatory competencies,
“, analyzes a staff member who wishes to remain anonymous.In 2024, the president of Val-de-Marne, Olivier Capitanio, already spoke of a financial “asphyxiation” of the community, confronted with the drop in transfer duties on real estate transactions (DMTO).
Meanwhile, many expenses have now fallen to this administrative tier.
Since then, the worst of the financial crisis seems to have passed, even if the 2026 budget, up by more than 28 million euros remains “under pressure” and with no “visibility“, still according to the assessments of its president.
A recovery that has not, therefore, allowed saving the departmental tourism committee (CDT) and its €900,000 subsidy.
It would have been possible to redirect the tourist tax money, estimated at around €800,000, to Val-de-Marne Tourism, but that path was not chosen by the policymakers.
Val-de-Marne: “building a new organization of tourism policy”
There have been several debates in the board of directors and elsewhere in the department on the subject, but this proposal was never adopted.
Moreover, the use of the tourist tax has never been clearly explained by the staff of the departmental tourism office.
“The departmental tourism committee received a subsidy from the department. But part of that sum was funded by the tourist taxes, at least on paper.
And this earmarking of the money collected by the tourist tax sits at the heart of parliamentary debates surrounding the PLF 27.
On the side of the territorial authorities, there is no plan to lose the tourism competence, nor to abandon the territorial animation of tourism, but to rationalize expenditures.
But how to do this, when the employees will therefore be left jobless in the coming days?
“The question now is that of organizing these missions and their financing, in a context where tourism competence is shared between communes, territorial public establishments, and the various levels of authorities.
While awaiting reflection to yield a new proposal, the tourism sector will have to do without its departmental committee, in a territory where there are “practically no tourist offices, except for the intercommunal office of the Boucles de la Marne,” as noted by Hélène Sallet-Lavorel, the former director of Val-de-Marne Tourism, on TourMaG.com.
Moreover, the use of the tourist tax has never been clearly explained by the staff of the departmental tourism office.
“The departmental tourism committee received a subsidy from the department. But part of that sum was funded by the tourist taxes, at least on paper.
We would like to know what will be done with that money. I get the impression that it is a tax for a tax, whereas it should serve to boost tourism attractiveness.
So when I ask the question, they tell me that the money will be used to fund bike paths, parks, events, festivals, etc.
“, laments Christophe Arietano, president of the Val-de-Marne Hotelier Club.And this earmarking of the money collected by the tourist tax sits at the heart of parliamentary debates surrounding the PLF 27.
On the side of the territorial authorities, there is no plan to lose the tourism competence, nor to abandon the territorial animation of tourism, but to rationalize expenditures.
But how to do this, when the employees will therefore be left jobless in the coming days?
“The question now is that of organizing these missions and their financing, in a context where tourism competence is shared between communes, territorial public establishments, and the various levels of authorities.
The priority now is to build a new organization of tourism policy, in connection with the communes, the EPTs and other concerned partners, with a model that is both efficient for the territory and financially sustainable
“, we are told from Créteil.While awaiting reflection to yield a new proposal, the tourism sector will have to do without its departmental committee, in a territory where there are “practically no tourist offices, except for the intercommunal office of the Boucles de la Marne,” as noted by Hélène Sallet-Lavorel, the former director of Val-de-Marne Tourism, on TourMaG.com.
