Gilbert Sauvan : «I lived at turning point ».

Vice président of the Conseil général des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, mayor of Castellane, former president of the Gîtes de France, Alpes de Haute-Provence.

GdF:You’ve been president of the association Gîtes de France 04, what was the situation of the gîtes in our department at the time?

Gilbert Sauvan: First of all, I have to tell that i didn’t take the presidency of this association as a politician but because at the time I was the mayor of Peyroules, a little township with 5 labelled rural gîtes at the time. I was elected president as a gîte manager. I have taken up the torch, after the presidency of Senator Fernand Tardy, a man deeply implicated in the promotion of gîtes with an excellent crew. At the time, the owners were often farmers or retired who had kept the philosophy of the gîtes creators alive. Most of them weren’t in a logic of rentability.

GdF: Were the Gîtes de France 04 at a turning point of their history? What were the new actions you conducted?

 Gilbert Sauvan: Indeed, I witnessed a turning point. Most of the owners focused on the history of the gîtes – do not forget that the first gîte de France was born in our department- but they weren’t aware of new commercial techniques. My first aim was to modernise the association. With my team, we installed the informatics tools, created a geographic cutting and tried to link as much as possible the accommodations with activities, while promoting the local products. In this period, many gîtes were created, often with specifics like the Panda gîtes. Many of them became the main activity of the owners. Thus, I had the pleasure to inaugurate the 1000^th structure.

Gdf:How do you see the development of the Gîtes de France in the forthcoming years?

 Gilbert Sauvan: The Gîtes de France label is a guarantee of quality, known throughout Europe. Excellence is the only objective. Moreover, the reservation platform which exists today might become a real platform, welcoming new partners like Clef Vacances and maybe hoteliers. To be more efficient, we have to pool our tools in order to make scale economies. On the other side, you have to keep the association state of mind, and it’s a daily task because if you focus on the financial aspect, you lose on the exchanges.

GdF:What memories do you have from your experience as president of the Gîtes de France 04?

Gilbert Sauvan: Obviouly excellent ones. I was lucky enough to push the Gîtes de France forward. I made my contribution to modernise them and I’ll remain an ardent defender of their cause. Rural tourism allows to identify our territory and to enhance the heritage while creating bounds between different people. Only the gîtes can fulfil this demand.