Dordogne | Des vacances au cœur du patrimoine français

Territoire de caractère, la Dordogne incarne un art de vivre unique en France. Entre paysages préservés, produits du terroir, traditions rurales et innovations locales, ce film vous plonge au cœur d’un département qui séduit autant les visiteurs que les nouveaux habitants.

De village en village, de marché en exploitation, on découvre une Dordogne authentique et engagée. Le Conseil Départemental valorise les circuits courts, soutient les jeunes agriculteurs, accompagne la transition écologique et favorise un tourisme durable. Ce documentaire donne la parole à ceux qui font vivre le territoire : producteurs passionnés, néo-ruraux enthousiastes, artisans du goût et décideurs engagés.

Ce film n’est pas une simple carte postale : c’est un hommage à la vitalité d’un territoire qui conjugue héritage et modernité. Gastronomie, qualité de vie, lien social, ancrage local… La Dordogne se réinvente, et attire de plus en plus de familles en quête de sens.

💖 Likez cette vidéo pour soutenir les territoires qui misent sur le local et la qualité de vie.
🔔 Abonnez-vous pour découvrir d’autres régions qui réinventent l’art de vivre.
🗨️ Commentez : Qu’est-ce qui vous attire le plus dans la Dordogne ?

#Dordogne #Terroir #TourismeDurable #QualitéDeVie #CampagneFrançaise #CircuitCourt #ConseilDépartemental

00:00:00 Introduction – Une terre à vivre
00:01:12 Qualité de vie et authenticité en Dordogne
00:03:06 Territoire d’histoire et de culture
00:05:21 La nature comme moteur d’attractivité
00:07:40 Des paysages vivants et préservés
00:10:12 Vivre local : circuits courts et produits du terroir
00:12:44 Le goût du vrai : marchés et gastronomie
00:15:17 Le Conseil Départemental, acteur du quotidien
00:17:33 Investir dans l’avenir : éducation et numérique
00:19:45 Une dynamique d’accueil pour les néo-ruraux
00:22:18 Tourisme durable et slow tourisme
00:24:30 Portraits de producteurs et d’artisans locaux
00:27:03 Jeunes agriculteurs et transmission du savoir-faire
00:29:40 Lien social et solidarité en milieu rural
00:32:15 Une terre d’équilibre : travail, famille, nature
00:35:02 Réussir sa reconversion en Dordogne
00:37:49 Innovation et projets citoyens
00:40:21 Les nouveaux visages de la campagne française
00:43:00 Une ruralité d’avenir
00:45:10 Conclusion – Choisir la Dordogne

More than 1000 of the oldest castles in France, Castelnau, Penac, but also 14 geological wonders, including the famous Lascaux caves, classified by UNESCO. A magnificent natural setting and an internationally renowned terroir. With such a heritage, The Dordogne was already a star brand in tourism. But that’s not it. Other assets play even more in its favor. This department in the southwest is one of the largest in France, one of the greenest too, with its forests and 600 km of rivers. You understood it, here, no crowded stations, and you can stay in one of the thousands of lodges in the region. Buy, Welcome to Coeur-Moursine! Brief, A destination that meets the expectations of the French this summer. The hardest part, It’s almost like choosing from thousands of competing offers. Which castle should you visit, between those who play the historical card and those who bet on high-tech? Canoe rental companies competing for customers, accommodation matches or quarrels over regional products. You want to taste a little bit of summer stuff It’s impressive! How everyone tries to attract you and take advantage of the treasures of this land Be careful not to slip! This summer, Will the Dordogne be elected? Miss France of your vacation? A priori, to attract families in summer, The Dordogne starts with a handicap. There is no sea, but here, there is almost better. His river, who gave it its name. Over 150 kilometers, you can swim there and especially sail there. It is even the number one destination for canoeing and kayaking. So much so that in August, It’s the highway with 3000 boats per day. Because upstream, around thirty companies are fighting to rent them. A battle where all strokes of the paddle seem permitted. Do you want one like that? Or like that. But if it’s comfortable, I can have him take this one, Yeah. As it says on his T-shirt, Gilles Ouardi is a bit of a canoeing boss in the Dordogne. He is the biggest rental company in the department, with a fleet of 800 state-of-the-art canoes. An adult and an adult. In a kayak. So that will make a total of 47 euros for you. 30 years ago, Gilles was one of the first to smell a good deal. To create your base… He bought this 2-hectare plot of land on the banks of the Dordogne for 100,000 euros. And he didn’t choose it at random. This location is located in Vitrac. And going down the river, Holidaymakers are treated to the most beautiful panorama of the 5 most famous castles in the valley. An unstoppable commercial asset, because today, This allows him to sell a tour that is popular with all tourists. Good morning We can go as far as Benac. Ah, the valley of the 5 castles. That’s it, Exactly. This is the most beautiful route. The 5 castles route, It’s his bestseller. This walk represents 2 out of 3 sales. For children under 12, we are at 14.50 euros. And for adults, It’s 21 euros. This is precisely the formula 159 euros, which these two Parisian couples and their children chose. It’s a small budget, but it will be worth it. We will say it at the end, but I think it’s going to be interesting. It’s a good family time at this time. Take this one, Please. THANKS. Yeah, Me too. For their first outing, These vacationers will travel 16 kilometers. It’s a good descent, a good walk. See you later. During this walk on the Dordogne, They will enjoy an exceptional panorama. And take the time to enjoy a little swim. In all, The family will have sailed for three hours. Gilles sells up to 500 tours of the five castles every day. A volume which allows it significant economies of scale. Because, to bring all its vacationers back to their starting point, 16 km further up the river, Gilles found… The best method. Good, gentlemen, ladies, I invite you to take the bus. It’s time. He invested 230,000 euros to buy 10 50-seater coaches. This allows it to repatriate a maximum number of customers in a minimum of travel. In terms of profitability, we can make collective returns. Every hour, We manage to bring back countless people. We almost save 30% of the payroll. And fuel, because we have far fewer machines and vehicles. And before leaving, Gilles always has the right arguments to convince families to come back a second time. It was perfect. And don’t forget, The Calviac-Vitrax descent is great too. We will not forget it. We’re thinking about it. Thanks to this technique, Vitrax too, It’s good. Gilles manages to bring back 40% of its customers on its base. In general, on a one-week stay, We managed to get our families to do two descents. It has become a must-have service. But for 10 years, Gilles is facing increased competition. Around twenty seasonal workers have set up in the area. And some rental companies have even found a way to cut prices. This morning… Market stay in the busy village of Saint-Cyprien. Marc Thierriou takes advantage of this strategic moment to distribute his flyers. I’m giving you a little flyer. The people of Bordeaux, if you want to take a little canoe trip. His canvassing technique is well-honed. Hello, Do You Want My Canoe In Pas-de-Calais, We go canoeing sometimes. Good morning, I’ll give you a little flyer if you want to go canoeing. You have a small canoe base there, very friendly, off the tourist circuit, with a slightly more family-friendly mechanic. We give priority to the cars of tourists, tourists. As canoeing is only permitted from the age of 5, when there is a seat, baby in general, We know that people are not likely to come, so we do a bit of selective flying, we will say. But his main argument to convince tourists, This is the price. We have some pretty nice little courses, It ranges from 12 euros to 18 euros. With the children, It is better to take short courses. Children are half price when they are 12 years old. We are slightly cheaper for most of our courses. And for the whole, we will say, of a family, It generally comes out cheaper. Always. These prices are 2 to 3 euros, lower than those of the competition. But it must be said that the brand base is a little unusual. About twenty kilometers away, in the middle of the countryside, This is the starting point for Marc’s walks. How much was said about Canoeing When you are with two small frames, we can do them by four. Hold, look at, try to see it. SO, they are tight because we put them on hangers, so you undo the straps. The rest of the year, This Parisian is a transport trainer. But in summer, it becomes heavy with canoe. At 2 p.m., so two adults and two children. He settled on this small piece of land nestled near the forest. Not really an ideal base for renting boats, since it is not even located on the riverbank. Worse still, Marc is settled here, just after the famous Valley of the Five Castles. During their walk, his customers cannot therefore admire these vestiges of French history. How are you, it was a walk Pleasant ? But the interest in Marc… He bought this land very cheaply. only 30,000 euros, three times less. Expensive, for example, than the price paid by Gilles, who him, is located on the banks of the Dordogne. So watch your fingers. So. The constraint for vacationers, This is because here, the journey begins with the shuttle. By means of most routes, it takes between 10 minutes, a quarter of an hour, 20 minutes. Obviously, It would have been better to be closer to the Dordogne and possibly closer to the tourist sites. Inexpensive land, but also savings on material. To lower its prices, Marc avoids buying new things. Part of my channels, They are second-hand. They are old, What. In general, It’s around 300 euros. A new one, It’s 800 euros. And too bad if this exposes its customers to certain last-minute hassles. I have one here that we had to go and change in Rogajac at the end of the morning. The customers have left, told us they were taking water, so they called us. We gave them a meeting place and picked up the canoe. It has a little slit here. So, suddenly, he takes on water. And this one, he doesn’t leave anymore. Between second-hand equipment and the distance from tourist circuits, even if it is not expensive, It’s not easy for Marc to make himself known. So he developed a communication, let’s say, alternative. You know there’s the disguise option, If you feel like doing it, you can. After each course, It offers a little bonus that families really like. Hat accessory in the middle, there are pirate eyes, too, There’s a little bit of everything. A pirate-themed costume session. There is a missing scar. Ah, no, you put it in an academic way, there, it’s not pirate, That. I’ll take some hooks. It is mainly material that we find at flea markets, In fact. It makes a nice little souvenir, It does the little thing that is nice. In the end, These accessories only cost Marc 50 euros. Here we go, You are there And the photoshoot is completely free. There, It’s not bad. This one, it will be by email, anyway. A little tour of Gainway, Afterwards, we dress up, we’re having fun, It’s a vacation. These are free photos. He will send them to us at home. Great. But for Marc, this little gift that costs him almost nothing, Above all, it is an extremely effective method of promotion. Yeah, You’re right. Because at the end of the day, with the agreement of the holidaymakers, The seasonal worker will post his photos on all social networks. People communicate with each other and encourage others, if they come to Dordogne, to go. Facebook, It can work on the other side of the planet. So it helps that people… Be encouraged to come, rather to my house. If they come to the patches. It doesn’t cost anything as such. It’s a showcase, we can call it that. Attracted by his photographs, good-natured and its low prices, 1000 vacationers come to Marc’s between July and August. Thanks to this seasonal activity, Marc has a turnover of 14,000 euros. Maintenance costs amount to 11,000 euros. Result, He makes 3000 euros in profit and pays himself 1250 euros per month. And that doesn’t suit the industry veterans, like Gilles Ouardi, the market leader. Tell me Baptiste, Do you have the reservation status? It still fits, we had about fifteen for this morning. Oh, really! He is keeping a close eye on his new competitors, who are gradually eating away at his customers. Today, we are still in a very competitive sector and the reductions, the hatchlings, It has become very important now, because customers are very sensitive to this kind of service. There, It costs less than 2 euros on the route. Less than 2 euros, so on 20 euros, That’s still 10%. discount for everyone. So, Gilles decided to fight back. When bookings are low on weekends, he also cuts his prices, with special promotions on social networks. I’m going to put it up because for this weekend, It seems to be a little quiet. So, there, I will try to put a promo code of 20% if you’re OK. When we leave on a Saturday, It’s a new week ahead and you need to report it right away. And through social networks, It’s going very fast. But the promotions, This is not enough. To increase its turnover, Gilles had to come up with new sources of income. Hello Virginie. It offers a very cost-effective picnic basket option. Tomorrow, for picnics, I would need 6 more. A vegetarian. A homemade sandwich A drink and a dessert. Ride back from this meal basket for less than 5 euros. Gilles will resell it for 10 euros, or a margin of 100%. So. Thank you so much. I wish you this morning. But that’s not all. To stand out, He found an even better solution by investing in equipment that none of his competitors could afford. Good, But all that’s left is to unpack it. Well yeah, I was waiting for you. Come on, action. I was waiting for you. Action. Just arrived this morning, This is Gilles’s ultimate weapon for the coming season. A canoe made of ultra-resistant, fully transparent polycarbonate. He comes from China. It is a relatively expensive boat. It’s over 1500 euros. It was complicated to get him here. And there you have it, so we’re going to test. It’s a bet, What. But I like challenges. 1,500 euros, It’s twice as expensive as a classic canoe. We’ll sit like this. Look if you see the fish. Oh, look, look at, There are two of them there. We just flew right over it. Ah, that’s cool. With this new feature, Gilles will be able to offer a new type of ride, all inclusive. We have just seen that this boat has great potential. We see fish as we could never see them before. This product will be sold for 70 euros per person. This is a service that will include: The services of an instructor, a descent of around twenty kilometers and a meal based on river fish. At 70 euros per person, The trip will cost three times more than a classic canoe trip. Enough to quickly make your investment profitable. And finally, while its competitors distribute flyers in the markets, him, he decided to hit harder. He picks up his customers directly at their homes. In Teucamping, like every Sunday, New arrivals are entitled to a welcome drink. Welcome everyone, Welcome to Bourrivage, I hope you had a good trip. And at the end of the speech, Gilles is entitled to his little promotional quarter of an hour. Those who have already visited the campsite a little, You have a canoeing base right along the Dordogne. Good morning, My name is Gilles, I take care of the canoe and kayak base. And we have a rental service just for you. You can leave our place, without taking your car, go canoeing. And we provide you with a shuttle service that can bring you back every hour. Would you be interested in going on a canoe or kayak trip? The ideal, it is to go down, Visit the Valley of the 5 Castles, go to Benac. The campsite is a partner in the operation, because in exchange, Gilles offers an automatic 10% discount for campers. And on every visit, it is generating additional bookings. I hooked 4 families, I think, who will book for tomorrow, for Tuesday and for Friday. Since it attracts customers directly to the campsite, Gilles increased his sales by 15%. This represents an annual turnover of almost 100,000 euros this season. Go down the Dordogne by canoe to admire the castles, It is the most popular leisure activity here. So, inevitably, It makes you want to go and visit for real. There are hundreds of them in the region. Medieval castles passing through Renaissance Palaces, or even magnificent properties with their Italian gardens. Everyone is fighting to attract you, But only a few will succeed. The most famous of them, visible precisely from the Ordogne river, This is the castle of Castelnau. Magnificent. This castle, Look This is where Laure, Patrick and their two children came to travel through time. If this family, originally from Paris, chose Ordogne for his vacation, This is largely due to this 13th century castle. One of the most beautiful jewels of the Middle Ages. Hi, up there, There are catapults. We’ll see there, see what’s behind. I did a bit of planning for the holidays and saw that there were quite a few castles to visit. And this one, It was a bit of a must-see in Dordogne, as a result, at the cultural level and then for children, too. For 8 euros per person, 32.80 if you want. They will discover this vestige of the 100 Years War, Middle Ages period. With its dungeon, its curtains, its trebuchets, life-size reconstructed war machines and its collection of medieval weapons. It’s impressive, It’s well done. A beautiful reconstruction. It feels like it. Castelnau is the jewel of the Dordogne. It is the most visited castle in the department. A success that today seems obvious. And yet, who would have bet a single ecu at the start Because 50 years ago, Castelnau, It looked like this. A ruin completely abandoned since the French Revolution. And the one who made the bet to make it reborn, it’s him, Clébert Rossillon. So, It’s the midday visit. You have a little less people than the previous visit. And like every morning in summer, The owner comes feverishly to take the pulse of the attendance. In any case, the blacksmiths, at the time, It’s still a very respected profession. Because on this project, The man invested a lot of money. In 1982, This former engineer inherited the castle that belonged to her family. It’s the beginning of a crazy adventure. First of all… He embarked on gigantic works to renovate the building. Budget More than 2 million euros. 65% funded on his personal fortune and at 35% by the State. Objective Open the castle to the public and make it a profitable business. Because, according to him, The potential is there. Castelnau, It is one of the largest castles in the Dordogne and the one that best evokes the Middle Ages. But Kleber’s challenge did not end there. Even renovated, his castle still offered little tourist interest. Inside, everything was empty. So how do you fill it out? Well, Kleber found the solution. He created this museum about war in the Middle Ages. With nearly 250 antique weapons and armors that he sometimes bought at high prices at auctions. This is one of our finest acquisitions. This is an armor that is attributed to Antoine de Bourbon, the father of Henry IV. And it’s a very rare piece. I won’t tell you the price, but it’s more than 100,000 euros. I’m not going to look closely at this halberd. Some rust spots, SO. That, It is a halberd from the beginning of the 16th century. Who is of origin, probably German. The tastiest, is that, like most of the pieces exhibited here, These relics have absolutely nothing to do with the history of the Dordogne. The fireboat, It’s a large piece of wood with a mini bomb on the end. But it doesn’t matter, It makes the visit more fun by immersing visitors in the time of the knights. The powder inside will react, it expels a gas and under pressure, the bullet is expelled. Thanks to this Medieval Museum, The ticket office records 122,000 entries per year. Bet won. So Well, not quite, because recipes are mainly in summer, while the expenses, It’s all year round. Clébert must constantly maintain walls and roofs, a never-ending construction site. The rest of the castle has passed, That’s all you have left. And you made the facades. For example, Every year, moss and weeds that grow in the ramparts must be removed. And since the castle is private, he is not entitled to any public assistance. Kleber must finance the maintenance himself, 120,000 euros per year. It’s a big budget. If we didn’t do this, The castle would destroy itself again. To cover his costs, Kleber must therefore increase its revenue. Then he had an idea, distract its visitors for as long as possible. And the whole trick, It is to offer free entertainment. You will understand. Armor fitting. Demonstration of old-fashioned crafts. And a cape and sword show. A well of vagueness, Ordogne style. Who comes to life. Each day, in front of hundreds of visitors. This way, my rascal, cross this box tree. Every year, We are producing a new show. There, They are the same actors as last year, but with a new text. We are waiting! All these activities are included in the entry ticket, These are additional costs for Kleber. He must therefore tighten his budgets with an iron fist. Hello Mathieu. Good morning. I told you earlier. So, priority is given to recovery. This is the costume you already have from last year Yes, it’s the same. As far as I’m concerned, It’s the same costume. I’ve been coming for 7 years and we always use the same shirts. They hold They hold. These are foals that I have had since I came here. And to soften the spectacle, Mathieu and Christian perform it 5 times a day. 5 days a week. In return, They are paid two and a half times the minimum wage. 26 euros gross per hour. Summer, for each… Each actor, Cléber pays 4,500 euros per month, charges included. It’s dense, quite intense. Actually, we have half an hour of show, half an hour break, half an hour of show, But time to reinstall, to redo the bet, as they say, There, 1.5 minutes. Some actors are even employees of the castle, to whom Cléber asks to accumulate positions. I am a guide at the castle, facilitator. Summer, I dreamed of the role of actress. And I play for two months, month of July, month of August. Despite the fact that its activities are free, the site is a winner. It attracts 113,000 more visitors per year. And above all, The average visit time increased from one and a half hours to four hours. And who says more time in Castelnau, said more time to consume. It’s been three hours since Laure, Patrick and their children entered the castle. And at the end of the journey, impossible not to visit the souvenir shop. Come on, the Big Madness. It wasn’t Eff’s paws, It was Eff’s sleeves. With this store… Castelnau Castle Rounds Off Its Turnover by an Additional 200,000 Euros. Thanks to this strategy, Castelnau achieves 1 900,000 euros in turnover per year. To this, personnel costs must be taken into account, the maintenance of the castle and the various charges, That is approximately 1.8 million euros. This leaves a net result of 5%, or 95,000 euros. In the war of the most visited castles of Dordogne, Castelnau took first place with 235,000 visitors, followed in its wake by its neighbors in the valley. A few kilometers away… Benac Castle welcomes 140,000 visitors per year. A little further on, The Milandes attract more than 112,000 of them each year. These three castles form the golden triangle in the Dordogne. But then, Does a small castle off the beaten track still have a chance of attracting tourists? It is possible provided we bring out the artillery. Here, for example, is the Château de Bourdeil, property of the Dordogne department. And it must be admitted, There is hardly any crowd at the entrance. Did we have any reservations? There are almost 4 people. 4 people. Summer, there are never crowds. The fault lies with its geographical distance. Bourdeil is located 100 km from the region’s tourist golden triangle. Result, last year, Only 28,000 visitors came here, 8 times less than in Castelnau. SO, to attract new customers, The Château called on Anne-Sophie to create a very futuristic animation. It hooks just behind the ears. So, there, you put it on like a backpack. The reception team will test this new concept, a virtual reality escape game, which takes place in the castle setting. So, there, It’s basically a computer that you have on your back. And there, On each side, you have headphones that will allow you to hear the other players and the game master, who will give you clues. Once equipped, Each participant will be immersed in the Middle Ages in an adventure worthy of a video game. Everything is played out here, in a square of 3 meters by 3. The sensors on each side will capture the player’s movements. Are you good? Do you all see anything? I’m all alone. There is no one with me. We can now start the game. Visitors will take a step back in time. Life in Château, in the midst of the Hundred Years’ War. With puzzles to solve and enemies to fight. This is exactly the attraction that Alexander is looking for, the site manager. What will motivate you for a while? A visitor to come and visit the Château de Bourdeille before going to visit another château, It could be just that kind of unique animation. So the idea was to create a new attraction, A new interest at this level to motivate visitors to come and visit us. And the smartest thing in this story, This animation costs much less than redoing walls or buying armor, like in Castelnau. Expect to pay 35,000 euros for the equipment, to which must be added the digitalization of the sets, in which the game takes place. You are in the main courtroom. They are dressed as they were at the time of the siege in the 14th century. A long-term project that cost 265,000 euros. In total, The Château therefore spent 300,000 euros to launch this digital escape game. It’s still a big investment for this little castle. So, to cushion it, this will be in addition to the ticket price. The castle tour costs 10 euros. For those who also want to play, you will have to pay double, 20 euros. But the hardest part now, is to make tourists want to come and visit this little-known castle, off the radar. So, to bring back the barge, no choice. You have to go hunting on the competitors’ lands. 25 kilometers from Bourdeille, This is where Vincent and Marion come into play. What are we doing? Me, I do this. And me, I’m going back to the other place. Yeah, that works. And off we go, distributing flyers, with a single message to attract them. There is a new escape game that was at the Château de Bourdeil 30 minutes from here. No Good, THANKS. Good day. Their strategy, target families with teenagers in the hope that their parents will agree to move away from the center of the department to go to Bourdeil. We know. Both interesting for young people because there is the Escape game aspect, virtual reality that is very popular, But even if it’s not something we particularly like, This allows you to see the Château de Bourdeil at one point. T, at one time in fact. So it really complements the visit. Yes, why not. Okay. THANKS. Good day. Bye. Bye. Seduction operations like this, The Château team will organize them three times a week. This is precisely what brought Sébastien, Aurelie, Samuel and Elodie to Bourdeille. These vacationers are fans of traditional escape games. So, this way, always straight ahead. And good game! They spent a total of 80 euros. So. For the visit of the castle and the entertainment. This is a first, I’ve never done it, We talked about it and so I wanted a selu. SO, I’m going to throw you into the first level. Malorie will serve as their guide in the game. Feel free to elaborate on the meaning a little. But it also has another purpose. There are four of them! It ensures that players do not linger too long so that the game can accommodate as many people as possible and be more profitable. If necessary, She whispers the correct answers to hurry the players towards the exit. There is one person who has not yet launched his tripod. This person must pick up the rope from the ground. We will be for each level between 10 minutes and a quarter of an hour. Per day, we can be sitting down and leaving. That’s the goal. Three quarters of an hour later, The players are under the spell. A, two, three. And for Alexander, the person in charge, Reservations are starting to come in. The idea, It was 20 players a day. Just a day like today, there were 18 of us today. So here it is, That’s the goal. He is there, it is in our hands. We are on the right track. In just two months, Alexandre generated more than 21,000 euros in additional revenue thanks to the Escape Game. With this innovation, Bourdeille’s annual turnover now reaches 262,000 euros. Between site maintenance, staff remuneration and expenses. The department spends 234,000 euros per year. Bourdeil therefore achieves a net result of 11%, or 28,000 euros per year. If all goes well, the investment will be repaid in less than 3 years. Despite all the activities developed in these castles, one is missing, the hotel industry. Impossible to stay there to sleep for the night. But in fact, it’s not very serious, because regarding accommodation, Competition is strong in Dordogne. Faced with the range of campsites, another option should be even more popular this summer, more peaceful, more typical and sometimes even more economical, rural lodgings. There are nearly 6000 of them, It is one of the 10 French departments with the most. This is another strong point of the Dordogne. All these old stones, It is also part of its rich heritage. And obviously, It inspires more and more owners. To become a hotelier, very wise in the hamlet of Curboursil, 3 km from Sarla. Delighted, Dominique Jalès, and Welcome to Curboursil. Dominique Jalès welcomes new guests. Family farm for decades. It’s typical of Périgord. Small refrigerator here, washing machine, oven, microwave, small room with two beds. The second bedroom. A small bathroom here. A washbasin cabinet. It is capable. This comfortable cottage for 4, He rents it for 660 euros a week. It’s 30% cheaper than renting a bungalow in the surrounding campsites. An economical formula that appealed to this family of teachers. We did a lot of camping and a lot of lodging. Which is why we abandon campsites, There are two reasons. First of all, prices, which are increasingly high, I find. So this, It’s a bit problematic. And then, It’s noisy. Yet, Nothing predestined Dominique to become a hotelier. Originally, he was a farmer. But he began a complete reconversion. And with his wife, Brigitte… It’s taking the highest ones, the thickest. He transformed his old tobacco farm into tourist accommodation. At the start, That was it. So we see the tobacco dryer again, the old barn, because we still did a little bit of mixed farming, So we had about ten cows. You should know that in Dordogne, the big peculiarities, It was tobacco and milk. So, from the moment it stopped working, We ended up with barns that were no longer of much use. Dominique did most of the work himself. And today? The couple runs 5 gites. And so, this is what it looks like today on the structure. An investment, it is in the value of 400, 450,000 euros. And to attract families with children, They developed their land with a swimming pool, A pétanque court, a playground and self-service bicycle parking. The problem, This is because Dominique had no experience in the tourism industry until then. How are you? How are you ? I’m doing well, THANKS. SO, to market its lodgings, He asked Philippe Borde for help. Here is the cottage, the linden tree, the little barbecue over there. All right, with a nice little view of the valley. It represents the Gîte de France label and specializes in the Dordogne market. He will go today… Evaluate the last home renovated by Dominique. So here. SO, high-spirited, of course. Oven, cable. To obtain the label. The coffee maker, the kettle, I saw it. The GIP must meet certain criteria. Do we have WiFi? Yes, quite, Yes. All right. The TV, to receive USB keys. I think, Yes, there are sockets. There is what is needed. There has been a real desire, for several years, to rejuvenate our image, since we had difficulty attracting customers, we will say, between 18-35 years old. And to capture this clientele, We need to offer today’s tools so that everyone can have access. Wi-Fi, at the present time, without Wi-Fi, We can’t rent. To benefit from these tips… We’re going to take some pictures. Dominique does not pay commission on his rentals, but only annual membership fees, That’s 1,800 euros per year for all 5 of its gites. A small sacrifice, but at this price… Come on, look at how your ad looks. Dominique benefits from the label’s publicity and expertise. Detached house in a working farmhouse. So we might be able to work. Typical Dordogne House, in local limestone. We must highlight this heritage, Show people that in our rural departments, we preserve our heritage, We are very attached to our heritage. This is precisely the problem for us, owners, Because it’s so obvious that we often forget to share it. 14 million visits per year. There is still a Gîte de France clientele, even who, despite everything, is passed down in families. Because we, we see again, we can see clearly. Now we see the second generation, which proves that there is still a little something extra that Gîte de France also brings us. If Dominique makes all his efforts, It’s because for the past 5 years, Traditional lodges are facing formidable new competition. Rental platforms like Airbnb. After invading the cities, The American giant is increasingly establishing itself in the countryside. In Dordogne, he has already acquired more than 1,000 seasonal rentals. We’re going to take a little look at the sector, lodgings like this for 6 people, with swimming pool, all these play areas. The competition is positioned at 1200 euros per week. To stay in the race, Dominique must align his prices. A priori, I would like to do simulations, But I think we’ll get between 950 and 1000 euros a week for next year. In high season. Their rule, it is to be systematically 10 to 15% cheaper than the equivalent at Airbnb. And what allowed him to stand out, is to highlight the treasures of the Dordogne region. Every week, Dominique becomes a tour guide and offers his guests visits to the farm. As a general rule, small sizes, it’s the females, the big guys, It’s the males. And tastings of local products. Kijin, health What do you like? All It’s nice, It’s friendly. These are things that we don’t necessarily get with Airbnb. It can be friendly, but at this point, It surprises me. These activities are free and tourists love them. Thanks to this, its turnover increased by 8% in just one year, to reach 58,000 euros per season. Local products, This is yet another decisive asset of the Dordogne to win over holidaymakers. People come here to taste its famous gastronomy. But ransom of Glory, It is also perhaps one of the most overused. SO, watch out for tourist traps. You have to eat. Fat weight. Cold cuts. Duck chorizo. Local cooperative. Wine. Nut. Strawberries. These local specialties are renowned throughout the world. And it is on the Sarlat market that they are exhibited. This gourmet event attracts 2 million visitors every summer. And there you have it. 10 Have a nice weekend! And for a few years now, A new commodity is becoming increasingly popular with tourists. Which one do you want? The truffle. The truffle, but not just any truffle. The truffle, we keep it between one week and ten days. Don’t dream, This is not the famous black truffle from Périgord, that we only find in winter, but of his cousin, who, outwardly, looks very much like him, the white summer truffle. Good morning. Quentin Albié, We sell more than 50 kilos between June and August. This summer truffle is sold for between 120 and 200 euros per kilo, While the classic black truffle, She, sold depending on the year, from 500 to 1000 euros per kilo, 5 times more expensive. So 24.80. And if the summer truffle is much cheaper, It’s because in terms of flavor, it is much less tasty. Except that, tourists don’t necessarily know this. When the season begins in June, Florian Picadou goes on the hunt. Come on, we are looking. Come on, Honey. Look for. Hop, there! There, It’s a beautiful truffle and you can see that it’s white, including the particularity of the summer truffle. And for a connoisseur, You just have to sniff it to tell the difference between it and a real black truffle. It’s a much lighter scent, much more bitter, even. His field covers 4 hectares. And summer, This plot turns into a machine cache. Come on, Honey Come on, we are looking for, we are looking for, Come on Well, yes, she is tied. And like the black truffle, The mushroom can only be detected by the flair of a well-trained dog. That, It will sell for 120 to 150 euros per kilo. The advantage of summer truffle, it’s that at this moment, in the Sarla region, There are a lot of tourists. So we take advantage of what nature gives us to make a little money. Result, in just one hour, Florian has already collected a small sum. There, with that, There are about fifty euros. On the trick, It’s not bad for an hour spent. And he has no problem selling them. The restaurateurs of the Dordogne buy his entire harvest. How are you Yes, You ? Yes, Nickel Look what I found this week. Ah, Great How many kilos did you have? there ? There are 2.1 kg. We’ll put it on display for a bit and then, afterwards, we will vacuum pack them. Florian sells 80% of its production to this restorer. There is no fixed rate. The price is fixed over the counter. Every summer, Florian earns an average of 3,000 euros net. As for the restaurateurs, They know that this magic mushroom is a booster for their profit. 15 kilometers from Sarla… Pascal Dussol has made the summer truffle the star of his restaurant. A truffle tagliatelle and a truffle truffle. A truffle-burned frame. Entrance fee 11 euros, main course at 15 euros and dessert at 6 euros. Here, All, absolutely everything is flavored with truffle. Oh, my, It’s good. No, No, normal. Perfect, Perfect. A concept that is a hit with vacationers. This is crazy, It’s crazy how it’s said. We think truffle, we think, Périgaud, we think of Ordogne. This restaurateur was the first in Dordogne to put it on the menu, while others found it too bland. For years, she was criticized, nobody wanted it. It is a good gastronomic product. Only constraint, Summer truffles cannot be cooked. But no problem for Pascal. He cooks it more and thus multiplies his profits. Demonstration with his bestseller. Yes, This is the dish I sell the most. So, there, it’s 110 grams of pasta, the French elementary. So, my truffle breakage, and I will put between 50 and 60 grams of shavings at the end. So, a pizza like this, It’s a cost of around 5 euros. I’m selling it 15 euros, almost double the size of a normal pizza, margarita. Let’s compare. For a margarita, Pascal should put tomato paste on his paste, mozzarella and basil. Cost price, 2 euros. But on the menu, He can’t sell it. More than 7 euros. He therefore only earns 5 euros in gross margin. With 50 grams of summer truffles and a little Emmental, its cost price increases to 5 euros. But thanks to the truffle effect, he can sell it to the holidaymaker for 15 euros, or 10 euros of gross margin. And truffle pizzas, like this one, Pascal sells about a hundred of them every week. Good, it was Yes, It was good. Thank you. For 32 people at noon, That makes a total of 800 euros for me. Of these 800 euros, I make 656 euros, just on truffle dishes. Since he launched his summer truffle menu… And there you have it. OK, OK, THANKS. Thank you for them. This restaurateur increased his turnover by 30%. One question remains. Have holidaymakers understood that in summer, They are only served this white truffle, which is less tasty? And who? Less valuable than the real black truffle available in winter. In the Sarla market, Tourists admit they don’t know much about it. We bought a truffle, a local truffle. Did you pay for that? How much? 20 euros. There is 150 grams. This holidaymaker paid the normal price, which is around 150 euros per kilo. But very few tourists know the prices. How many grams is it, That, thumb I don’t know how much, but it cost me 5 euros. We don’t know anything about it at all. And it was really just for the small holiday purchase. This lack of awareness is very convenient for some resellers, who do not hesitate to inflate prices. On hidden camera… You are watching We pretended to be a tourist to one of them. So what kind of truffle is it? That It’s a truffle. It’s not the black truffle It is… When asked, This exhibitor plays on transparency. Yet, Its prices per kilo are much higher than the current rate. How much is a kilo, roughly? 300. 300? Ah, yeah, It seems a bit expensive to me. 300 euros per kilo, It’s double the price of 150 euros. The trader claims that he has changed. And we’re not at the end of our surprises. Because taking advantage of the naivety of tourists, The man doesn’t only sell quality truffles. We buy this little truffle for 25 euros. How many grams are there? Okay, Let’s go then. This truffle at 300 euros per kilo, We will submit it to Pascal Dussol, the restaurateur, specialist in summer truffles. And immediately, the man grimaces. She passed, What. She passed. It’s not rotten, but we are not far from it, What. That, it’s not consumable. At 300 euros per kilo, It’s expensive right away. The gram, What. So you’ve been had. To combat these abuses, Pascal Dussol chose to retaliate. Go ahead, go, turned, turned, turned. We’ll put it there. For a year now, The restaurateur has set up a controlled market in his small town of Daglan. There is the market regulation order. There are all the items. The only variety of truffles authorized for sale is the white summer truffle, or called Saint-Jean truffle, to the exclusion of all others. It is a guarantee for the consumer, on the quality, on the maturity of the truffle. So, it is the image of the Dordogne which is at stake. This is where Florian Picadou sells the rest of his production. In this market, all truffles are checked, weighed and labeled according to their quality. How many English? 500 grams? That’s all that. The price of summer truffles never exceeds 150 euros per kilo, and the prices are clearly displayed. I’m here, There you go. It costs 14 euros. Since Pascal du Sol’s initiative, another controlled summer truffle market has emerged in the Dordogne. A guarantee for tourists to pay the right price for their truffles and not leave their vacation in the Dordogne on a bad note.