Territorial development “Tren Groc” (Yellow Train)

Year

2015 – 2016

Client

Region of Languedoc-Roussillon (France)

Applied services

Consultancy

The project

The determining of a project of economic and touristic development around the “Tren Groc” (Yellow Train) and the area of influence. (Project undertaken jointly with the French company Maîtres du Rêve)

The challenge

Currently the challenge requires supporting “Tren Groc” and its conformity to the current regulations and assuring in this way that its future gains strong investments in both materials and infrastructure.
To save this patrimonial element implies the reflection on a new economic model, be it about the current train or the economic impact that it has on the area that it operates in.
In this way, the Languedoc-Roussillon Region is looking to study the future prospects of this line, which today used fundamentally by tourists, is now a part of the global context of area development in the affected zone.
Beyond the investment plans and the development results established by SNCF in order to maintain the Yellow Train operative, the Region would like to establish a development project that overcomes merely any railway issue and instead considers the challenges of local development, both economic and touristic that are currently being faced by the area.

Actions taken

The assessment of the tourism activity of destinations linked to the “Tren Groc” (Yellow Train)

Bibliographic and statistic-based interpretations and estimates.
Release meetings, monitoring and phase establishment.
Contribution requests on the part of the area’s stakeholders.
A visit and qualitative analysis of the 21 stations across 5 days.
20 individual strategy interviews.
10 focus groups.
Telephone interviews.
Client-based analysis: links between train users and visitors of the principal attractions.
Telephone survey of 50 prescribers and professionals.
Caracterisation of offer and tourism services.
Evaluation of the current economic impact generated by the “Tren Groc” (Yellow Train) line.
Identification of the positive and negative points of Yellow Train’s development plans.
DAFO analysis, valuation of the challenges to be met and definition of strategic focusing.

The definition of a tourism strategy of the destinations linked to the “Tren Groc” and this strategy’s positioning.

Translation of the diagnosis in strategic positioning.
Definition of the main development priorities.
Benchmark analysis of other cases of touristic trains.
Formalisation of main development projects, on the scale of other destinations.
Transversal themed focus groups and the sharing of views and development ideas.
Finalisation of development projects, drawing to a close each main idea and each area involved.

The establishment of a Plan of Action

Explanation of the project and its operational development.
Elaboration of an annual program of operations.
Translation of design equipment and development of area projects.
Definition of governing and organisational methods.
Prevision of multi-year development for each project/share: financial and technical adaption.