Jean-Virgile Crance, president of the Confederation of Tourism Stakeholders and first deputy mayor of St-Malo, said the French region was strongly behind growing its developing attachment with Guernsey.
‘It’s a very special area,’ he said.
‘It offers quality and diversity – the beauty of its nature and the ease of transport.
‘And on top of everything, there is Victor Hugo and Renoir – a good opportunity to share our French culture with everybody. That’s important for us.
‘France is the number one tourist destination in the world, and St Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel are two of the main tourist destinations within France. We want to see Guernsey as an extension of those areas.’
He said creating cultural, trade and sporting opportunities – such as a regatta – were some of the first ways the bridge between St Malo and the island can be further developed.
The increased sea links that Brittany Ferries has provided – with its well timed routes for day-trippers from France – has already significantly boosted tourism from the area already.
The company’s chief executive, Christophe Mathieu, has described the year as very positive and said it appreciates the support of St Malo.
‘Guernsey brings that other experience,’ he said. ‘Two hours ferry, spend a night in Guernsey, go back for another night somewhere else – it’s so natural.
'And, of course, I’m interested to create that traffic. It’s a bit of an unusual partnership, but it makes sense.’
Though the focus is on developing tourism from France to Guernsey, Mr Mathieu said building a partnership worked both ways.
‘Like every partnership in life, it’s about people getting to know each other,’ he said.
‘It’s a process and every step is another step.
'We are only the ferry company, so for us – I want to highlight how important and satisfying it is to have the town of St Malo there, so involved and committed to this partnership with Guernsey. It’s massive for us.’
The year 2027 will mark the 1,000th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s birth. It will be a big year full of international celebrations called ‘Millennium – 2027 European Year of the Normans’, and another opportunity to further strengthen Guernsey’s bond with France.
Economic Development Committee president Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller said the Bailiwick will ‘very much’ be at the heart of its commemoration.
‘We’re not quite fully British and we’re not quite French,’ she said.
‘We’re in the middle, which actually we like. It’s an interesting, unique community. The concept of building bridges, especially in the world we live in now, which is becoming more fragmented, is very important for us – to be good friends with all of our neighbours.’
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