A major survey to analyze summer travel

Until September 13, the Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée (TPM) is conducting a field survey to analyze summer travel and understand the practices of residents and visitors alike. This initiative, a pioneer on a national scale, aims to collect precise data to adapt the public policies of tomorrow.

Every summer, the territory of the metropolis undergoes a profound transformation. Its population increases by 24% and, as the second most touristy department in France with 3.5 million visitors per year, the pressure on infrastructure is considerable. According to TPM, 40% of summer trips recorded in the Var concern its perimeter.

Saturation of access routes

This intense influx causes saturation of access routes to beaches, ports, tourist sites, and natural areas, while complicating the daily journeys of residents. The survey aims to objectify these phenomena by analyzing the habits of residents, tourists, and day-trippers, whether they are from Var, France, or abroad.

Surveyors from the TEST company, commissioned by TPM and identifiable by an official badge, will go out to meet the public. No fewer than 50 sites have been selected across the twelve municipalities of the metropolis: Carqueiranne, La Crau, La Garde, Hyères, Ollioules, Le Pradet, Le Revest-les-Eaux, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Six-Fours-les-Plages, Toulon, and La Valette-du-Var.

A questionnaire for the mobility of tomorrow

Data collection will be done face-to-face, via an anonymous questionnaire on a tablet lasting about ten to twelve minutes. No nominative information will be collected. The questions concern modes of transport, journeys, accommodation location, sites visited, activities, as well as the respondents' opinions on public transport and cycling facilities.

This approach is part of the Plan de Mobilité 2025-2035 of the metropolis, for the organization of tourist mobility. Conducted with the technical support of CEREMA Méditerranée, the survey will provide information to better organize traffic, parking, and active mobility during the high season.

The analysis of the questionnaires is scheduled for autumn and winter 2026. The feedback of lessons learned is expected in the first half of 2027, in the form of a summer travel barometer.