Aims and Results
As part of its sustainable tourism strategy, ONLYLYON Tourism and Conventions focusses strongly on involving its members, visitors and local residents through consultation, co-construction and information.
2021 marked the beginning of a new strategy ‘For More Sustainable Tourism’, in line with Metropole’s Plan for the Development of Sustainable Tourism.
This co-construction was essential thanks to several consultations carried out jointly by Lyon Metropole and ONLYLYON Tourism & Conventions:
Our aim: identify the expectations and needs of each target segment, in order to support the destination Lyon’s transition to more sustainable tourism.
Our results:
- Nearly 200 tourism professionals
- 193 local residents
- 175 visitors
The operational strategy translates into 7 commitments that include 10 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals:
What does more sustainable tourism mean for Lyon and its metropolitan area?
Beyond respect for the environment, which is of course essential, it is about positively developing the well-being of residents and visitors, making tourism offerings accessible to all, and ensuring the authenticity of the experience by bringing people together.
It is also about enabling each individual to benefit from this practice, as part of a virtuous circle that generates business and meaning for all stakeholders, as well as pride for all people in Lyon, from one-day visitors to long-term residents. A more sustainble stay.
It is about not being afraid to slow down the pace, take time to think, try new things, explore new paths and contribute to change.
Tourism in Lyon - 2022 key figures
in Tourism
with the 267 accommodation providers in the metropolitan area
days as the average length of stay
Objectives and results 2022
1 - Respectful tourism
Our aim: contribute to individual health and well-being
In order to preserve local living conditions, Lyon is committed to promoting its heritage and ensuring that tourists and local residents live together in harmony, particularly through mediation.
The Tourism Volunteers provide an initial tourist welcome at strategic locations for local, national and international visitors. You can find them, for example, at the entrances of the famous Traboules of Old Lyon, where they ensure that the Charter of Good Practices for visiting the historical site of Lyon is respected.
2 - Inclusive tourism
Our aim: promote the accessibility of tourism offerings to all audiences and guarantee the authenticity of the experience
Winner of the European Commission’s 2018 Access City Award, the city of Lyon places accessibility at the heart of the urban experience, offering a trip that is open to all audiences, budgets, and preferences.
Visiting Lyon also means sharing moments with its residents. The Greeters de Lyon network has been growing for ten years and promotes a new form of tourism that is more welcoming and based on voluntary work, cultural exchange and generosity.
The completely free ‘Visitez Lyon’ (Visit Lyon) day, run in partnership with leisure service providers, is a chance for residents of the metropolitan area to discover Visitez Lyon tourism products. The 365-day Lyon City Card includes a discounted price to discover 3 activities, combined with a guided tour.
243 outings organised by Greeters in 2022 / +10% vs 2021
610 people welcomed by Greeters in 2022 / +90% vs 2021
1136 participants in total over the course of the 2 completely free ‘Visitez Lyon’ days / +42% vs 2021
2000 365-day Lyon City Cards sold in 2022
3 - Tourism that promotes low-impact transport
Our aim: respect the environment by working to improve our impacts and curb the effects of climate change
Low-impact transport (cycling, rollerblading, walking, etc.) is becoming increasingly popular in the Lyon Metropole. The growth of cycle tourism is a strategic development for the city, which is located at the crossroads of two major cycling routes, namely the Viarhôna, which goes from Geneva to the Mediterranean, and la Voie Bleue - Saône-Moselle, linking Luxembourg and Lyon.
Since 2019, ONLYLYON Tourist office and Convention Bureau has rolled out the national label, Accueil Vélo. This label promotes professionals in the tourism industry that are involved with helping cycle tourists find accommodations, restaurants, sites, rental companies and repair shops, offering guidance to help them meet their specific needs.
6 communication campaigns on tourism options using green transport in Lyon
44 organisations certified by the ‘Accueil Vélo’ (Cyclists Welcome) quality label at the end of 2022
4 - Reasoned tourism
Our aim: respect the environment by working to reduce our impacts, mitigate the effects of climate change and encourage responsible and local consumption.
ONLYLYON also began devising its Sustainable Purchasing policy in Autumn 2021, to bring all of its partners and suppliers on board in a sustainable approach.
Furthermore, ONLYLYON Tourism assists accommodation providers, restaurant owners, cultural and leisure activity providers, stay organisers and event planners with the environmental certification process. In 2021, consultations and a needs analysis were carried out to establish an environmental certification assistance programme.
In parallel, the Convention Bureau and Sustainable Tourism teams released 2 essential tools for the transition to sustainable event planning in Lyon, a handy guide including a To-do-list and Check-list, identifying all solutions available for responsible and local consumption.
Diversifying the offering for visitors and spreading visitor flows throughout the territory remain leading aims for the destination. ONLYLYON Tourism is committed to developing new guided tours with the Tour Guides Bureau and all tour operators within its territory.
Analysis of ONLYLYON’s carbon footprint -4% vs 2021
86 sustainable solutions and initiatives in the To-Do-List for Environmentally Sustainable Events in Lyon
4 new tours created by ONLYLYON Tourism and Conventions
64 new ways to explore the local area integrated on Visitezlyon.com
5 - Sustainable tourism
Our aim: together with all stakeholders, build more sustainable tourism in Lyon and its metropolitan area
In 2019, Lyon entered the GDS-Index (Global Destination Sustainability Index), a performance improvement scheme aimed at making the business and leisure tourism sectors more sustainable.
In 2021, the commitment made by Greater Lyon and ONLYLYON Tourism led to an analysis of consultations and awareness-raising among tourism professionals, as well as the formulation of Greater Lyon’s Plan for the Development of Sustainable Tourism and ONLYLYON Tourism's Long-term Operational Strategy.
12 ONLYLYON events dedicated to Sustainable Tourism – 209 participants
Online consultation on www.tourisme-different.com – more than 300 participants in 2022
ISO certification: 4 service providers in the territory & certification of ONLYLYON Tourism in 2022
Training of ONLYLYON Tourism teams on the components of Sustainable Tourism – 70 employees
6 - Local tourism
Our aim: contribute to individuals’ health and well-being, promote the accessibility of tourism offerings for all audiences, and guarantee the authenticity of the experience had by bringing people together in a friendly environment.
For several years now, ONLYLYON Tourism has been focussed on the development of local offerings for residents and has deployed several tools with this in mind.
The Lyon City Card 365 is a variation of the classic Lyon City Card, specifically designed for Lyon’s residents. The pass allows you to discover 3 cultural or touristic activities over a year, and includes a guided tour to (re)discover the city!
À la lyonnaise, a new magazine created by ONLYLYON Tourism for everybody in Lyon, from one-day visitors to long-term residents. A website, social network profiles and a magazine to promote the metropolitan area’s offering for visitors and residents, including leisure, restaurants, events and more…
3,5 visitors to our sites in 2022
5 000 leisure and events offerings for local residents
160 000 À la lyonnaise magazines distributed throughout the territory (4 per year)
20% of visitors to the Tourist Office come from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
7 - Innovative tourism
Our aim: develop the local economy and local jobs
Lyon uses innovation and digitalisation to enhance the quality of the customer experience in order to ensure that a trip to Lyon is an unforgettable one! As such, ONLYLYON Tourisme has launched a ground-breaking initiative, the only one of its kind in Europe: ONLYLYON Expérience, a destination CRM that aims to build an emotional, long-lasting and profitable relationship with local, national and international visitors. ONLYLYON Expérience draws on ONLYLYON Tourism’s customer databases as well as those of its partners, such as hoteliers and activity providers, in order to offer quality digital support to all who visit. One of the objectives of the initiative is to better disperse the flow of Lyon’s visitors by encouraging them to discover places off the beaten track.
8 - Peaceful tourism
Our aim: participate in the well-being and good health of people
In 2020, the Lyon Metropole and ONLYLYON Tourisme joined forces to create the “Peace of Mind Charter, Together to care for each other”. This commitment charter is intended for all of the city’s professionals who are involved in welcoming visitors, such as accommodation providers, restaurant owners, site managers and other shopkeepers. The goal is to provide support to visitors through each step of their trip, in regard to the mandated health measures for Covid-19, and to help them identify socially-committed businesses throughout Lyon thanks to a specific logo. This specific Charter was designed for the long term and will be updated annually according to the development of the public health situation and responsible actions taken by the destination’s stakeholders.
Our 2023 actions to follow
- Promote our sustainable tourism ambition for the destination, in order to bring on board and inspire tourism professionals.
- Deploy the action plan in line with the long-term strategy.
- Assist all stakeholders in the metropolitan area’s tourism ecosystem with the transition, through training and awareness-raising, as well as identification of approaches, certifications, funding and tools available.
- Deploy inclusive quality labels: ‘Tourisme et Handicap’ (Tourism and Disabilities), ‘Accueil Vélo’ (Cyclists Welcome).
- Pursue ISO20121 certification and the national quality label ‘Destination Innovante et Durable’ (Innovative and Sustainable Destination).
- Improve our score in the GDS-Index
Download our 2021 Sustainable Tourism Report