François de Canson: 'Flowering your commune is a powerful driver for sustainable tourism'

On April 9, at the Hôtel de Région, François de Canson unveiled the 2025 'Villes et Villages Fleuris' quality of life list for Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The label rewards the communes that best meet 7 major evaluation criteria (Jury visit, implementation of the municipal project, animation and promotion of the development process, plant heritage and flowering, environmental management, quality of public space, and analysis by area). According to a study conducted by the CRT and the 'Villes et Villages Fleuris' label, 86% of the region's inhabitants consider it important to live in a certified commune and 30% of tourists state that the labels have an impact on their choice of holiday destination. Thus, more than 80% of inhabitants live in a certified commune, as 264 communes hold the label with 1 to 4 flowers. The Région has set a target of 300 certified communes by the end of 2028.

LIVING ENVIRONMENT AND WELL-BEING

'The label enhances the living environment and the attractiveness of communes. It embodies well-living. It highlights our heritage and our environment. It rewards a sustainable and responsible development policy. In their communes, on a daily basis, mayors and their teams do remarkable work. They contribute to the economic, residential, and tourist attractiveness of our region. They must do so while respecting the authenticity of our territory and ensuring the quality of public spaces,' declared François de Canson, president of the Comité Régional de Tourisme. As is the case every year, it was with a certain emotion that he addressed the elected officials: 'On this day dedicated to the presentation of the "Villes et Villages Fleuris" labels, we are celebrating much more than an award list. We are paying tribute to a philosophy of action, to a way of living in, shaping, and protecting our territories. We are here to express our pride in having, in our beautiful Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, communes that choose the beautiful, the living, the sustainable.' Year after year, these communes commit to offering their residents a well-kept, peaceful, and welcoming living environment, and they contribute, each on their own scale, to shaping a more attractive and harmonious region. Since its creation over 65 years ago, the 'Villes et Villages Fleuris' label has evolved. It is no longer just about aesthetics or ornamentation. It is a real public policy tool, serving regional planning, ecological transition, environmental health, social cohesion, and attractiveness. 'Flowering your commune means investing in the living environment and well-being. It means creating friendliness, social bonds, and identity. It means making public spaces functional, poetic, and alive. It is also, and perhaps above all, about adapting to climate change. What you support, what you achieve on a daily basis, are greening projects, reclaiming nature in the city' (...). 'And, you do it with an acute awareness of the most precious resource of all: water,' recalled the mayor of La Londe-les-Maures (...).

LOCAL DYNAMICS

It is also a wonderful local dynamic. Behind every flowerbed, every hedge, every border, there are men and women who get involved: technical staff, municipal gardeners, associations, residents, and volunteers. There are valuable skills, professions rooted in life, in care, in the right touch. And these professions must be valued, supported, and passed on. They are the ones who give a soul to the communes and bring the spirit of this label to life on a daily basis. 'Flowering your commune is also—and this is particularly close to our hearts—a powerful lever for sustainable tourism. In a region as beautiful, as contrasted, and as busy as ours, attractiveness can no longer be thought of solely in terms of flows or numbers. It must be qualitative, responsible, and balanced (...). The label becomes a strong territorial marker, a positive signal sent to both visitors and residents. It says: here, nature is respected. Here, heritage is alive. Here, we take care of our territory and its inhabitants. This label also contributes to a fundamental issue: the revitalization of rural territories (...). By beautifying, you attract. You make people want to stay, to settle down, to set up businesses. You contribute to what we call residential attractiveness: this ability to attract residents, families, teleworkers, and talents who are looking for meaning and quality of life. It is a strong political act. And it is an act of confidence in the future of our territories,' concluded François de Canson. •

THE NEWLY DISTINGUISHED COMMUNES:

• Antibes Juan-les-Pins and Gréoux-les-Bains (4 Fleurs). Both communes were assisted by the Région Sud and the Comité Régional de Tourisme in preparing their application. • 5 communes reach the 1st Fleur. • 8 communes reach the 2nd Fleur. • 5 communes reach the 3rd Fleur. • 43 communes maintain their level of distinction between 1 and 3 Fleurs. • And, the Fleur d’Or to Sanary-sur-Mer (already holding the 4 Fleurs label). Awarded unanimously by the national Jury, the Fleur d'Or is the reward for an outstanding embellishment of the living environment.