Instagram, a double-edged sword for tourist destinations
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The sources of the Huveaune are dry. And that does not bother Jean-Claude Hoog at all, the first deputy (without label) of the village of Nans-les-Pins (Var), from where this river starts which tumbles from the foothills of Sainte-Baume to go and throw itself in the Mediterranean at Marseilles. “When there is no water, there are no visitors! »breathes the chosen one, as if relieved not to meet anyone when he trudges along these superb basins of white tuff, shaded by alignments of oaks.
On March 18, 2019, the water was flowing when a Marseille photographer posted a dozen photos of the springs on his Facebook page. Miniature emerald waterfalls shimmering in the sun, basins turned turquoise blue by the cyanobacteria of the undergrowth… Irresistible pictures, liked and commented on by thousands of people, whose impact has traumatized the inhabitants of this Provençal village of 4,700 inhabitants. “The next day, we saw hundreds of people arrive… It was a rush”remembers the chosen one.
Nans-les-Pins is not the first town to be overwhelmed by the eruption, on social networks, of idyllic photos, particularly on Instagram. On Facebook’s sister social network, the hashtag #huveaune lists 2,000 publications, the vast majority after March 2019.
At that time, in the wake of the publication of the Marseille photographer, vehicles stopped astride the departmental 80, which left the village in the direction of Sainte-Baume. The parking lot of the Sermax factory, the last site before the springs, is stormed. And, at the edge of the river, located in a Natura 2000 protected area and in the heart of a national forest managed by the National Forestry Office (ONF), everyone tries to get closer to the basins, for a selfie or to soak in it. the feet. Causing irreversible damage in these porous rocks, shaped by thousands of years of concretions.
Lavender fields
Surprisingly, the sources of the Huveaune were, until then, part of the well-kept secrets of green Provence. In May 2021, according to the counters installed by the Sainte-Baume regional park, nearly 4,000 people visited the premises; of which 42% had discovered the sources on the Internet or through the media.
A municipal decree now prohibits access to the basins and swimming in the Huveaune, walking off the marked trails and uncontrolled parking. A specific car park has been created in the heart of the village, with signs to the springs.
A few kilometers away, the Valensole plateau (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) has long known the impact of social networks on tourist numbers. Golden light, mauve and green fields dotted with almond trees: this high place of lavender production in Provence has hardly any equivalent when flowering begins in July. Known as far away as Asia, it serves as a backdrop for Instagram, Facebook posts or TikTok videos. Valensole on Instagram? 467,000 photos, most often showing a woman from behind in the middle of a lavender field, with a wide-brimmed hat.
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