1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 343 Niche & High-End
Ronan found it strange when his mother, Feng Zhen, mentioned that customers from Carpenter, Avignon, Nice, and Bordeaux had come to the restaurant.

It's the off-season for tourism now, so why are so many people from big cities coming to Lourmaran?

But since his mother didn't reveal any other useful information besides telling stories, Ronan didn't think much of it.

Now that I've heard the data Claude provided, everything makes sense.

It turns out that some of the people who went to Gold to see the exhibition also stopped by Lourmaran for sightseeing.

To help Ronan better understand the changes in Lourmaran, Claude put down the documents and explained in a simple and easy-to-understand way:
"Don't be fooled by the fact that we still have more than 2000 fewer tourists than Mena Village. During the tourist season, Lourmaran only receives one-fifth or even less of the number of tourists as Mena Village. This is a ratio we have never achieved before. In the past, Lourmaran would not receive more than 2000 tourists in the entire winter, but now we have received more than 3000 in just half a month."

Both Mena and Lourmaran are villages within the Lesser Luberon region, so Claude uses it as an example.

Sylvie couldn't help but interject:
"These tourists come to Lourmaran specifically to visit your restaurant! But just by stopping by, they've boosted Lourmaran's economy. I can't give you the exact figures, but since your restaurant opened after the tourist season ended last September, Lourmaran's economy has been 'reversing the trend.' Perhaps this month's local tax revenue will even match that of the tourist season."

She happily tapped her notebook a few times:

"Blanco said that he has been attending meetings in the Vaucluse province in recent months, and each time he has been singled out for praise, and the frequency of this praise is increasing. We believe that next month—"

Sylvie suddenly fell silent, seemingly having said something she shouldn't have in her excitement.

However, Blanco added what she hadn't said:

“We are very confident that we will secure the tourism bureau’s budget next month. The only question now is how to use the data to apply for more support funds.”

He smiled and said to his trusted confidants present:

"It's alright, Ronan is no outsider."

With Blanco's words, Sylvie no longer needed to hold back her speech:
“We’ve designated your restaurant as a more important ‘tourist attraction’ than Lourmarin Castle, so we’ve put up signs in Lourmarin’s jurisdiction to indicate the restaurant’s location to tourists. You don’t need to look at me with such a horrified expression. There are villages in Luberon that have designated their cafes as important attractions; that’s a kind of cultural landscape.”

Claude smiled and twirled his pen:

“I really didn’t expect that Lourmaran would also benefit from the big event held by Gold. I believe that every event you and Zoe participate in in the future will be a form of publicity for Lourmaran. The two of you are now more useful than the exposure channels I paid for.”

"Thank you so much," Sylvie said to Ronan with deep gratitude.

The Lourmaran government is small in number, a very small 'team', but they bear the important responsibility of revitalizing Lourmaran.

Under immense pressure, the sudden discovery that they had several other strong foreign players supporting them felt incredibly wonderful.

Several voices echoed in agreement from the surrounding area.

Everyone is very grateful to Ronan, Zoe, and Batty for their contributions to Lourmaran’s Gold series of art events.

Unlike the joyful crowd, Ronan calmly asked Claude:

Do you have Gold's data?

Claude nodded:
"Of course, we keep a close eye on the situation of outstanding villages in Luberon."

Ronan asked curiously:

How many tourists did Gold have in January and February?

Claude found Gold's data in his vast collection of documents in just two or three seconds, as if he had reviewed this section countless times:

“Gold received more than 21000 visitors in January, and the number exceeded 35000 by mid-February.”

Sylvie made an envious sound.

If only this were Lourmaran's data.

Ronan lowered his head and considered his words for a few seconds, seemingly organizing his thoughts. He quickly looked up at the people in front of him and said:
“I had a huge feeling when I went to Gordes for the event. The difference between Lourmarin and Gordes is not just 10 times more tourists, but much more. Many collectors and artists stayed in Gordes during the event, and apart from the lack of nightlife, I didn’t hear them complain about anything else.”

However, Lourmarin not only cannot solve the accommodation problem for large numbers of tourists, but also cannot meet the accommodation needs of different groups. If this problem cannot be solved, we will never be able to host large-scale events in Provence, and thus will never become a top tourist destination like Gordes. Will tourists from all over the world go to a place just because of a restaurant? The answer is self-evident, but they will go to Gordes for an arts festival. I believe there are many similar opportunities in Provence, and we are still far from being able to host large-scale events.

Impoverished artists can find affordable and decent accommodations in Gold.

Wealthy artists and collectors can find better deals.

Even Ines and the wealthy Miss Patricia have been staying in Gordes during this time. And what about Lourmaran?

There are only a few family-run guesthouses and one small hotel that hasn't opened yet.

In October, the last shop on the commercial street was rented out, where Lourmaran's first formal hotel will be built.

Because of its proximity, Ronan visited the place several times and chatted with the owner a few times.

The hotel will open in early April, before the travel season begins, but it only has a dozen or so rooms. Ronan didn't ask about the price, but judging from the materials displayed inside, it definitely won't be able to accommodate wealthy people.

Ronan was just using accommodation as an example; the same issues apply to clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

The people who had just been laughing in the conference room immediately changed their expressions. Sylvie asked the group with a complicated look:

"Has any of you recently been in contact with Ronan? Why is it that he can always pinpoint our work direction so accurately?"

Last spring, this newcomer bluntly pointed out Lourmaran's weakness: 'Lourmaran doesn't have its own unique character.'

Last autumn, he pointed out that the government's problem was its inability to impress the Vaucluse tourism board.

Now he's brought out the new tasks that Blanco had just assigned to everyone not long ago.

Who would believe that Ronan didn't have a 'mole' within the government?
Blanco smiled with satisfaction and said to Sylvie:

"That's why I say don't treat Ronan as an outsider, because he shares the same perspective as us and also hopes that Lourmaran will get better and better. So at different stages, he, like us, can always discover new problems."

While the officials were either surprised, moved, or carefully considering the implied meaning of his words, Blanco continued to speak to Ronan:

"Actually, we've been thinking about this issue for several months now. If we get the tourism bureau's budget, where should we spend the money? You know, it's too late to think about these issues after we get the money. We're racing against time right now."

Upgrading tourism infrastructure is definitely a very important direction. The second and third phases of the commercial street construction are already in the planning stages. If the budget secured meets expectations, both phases will be larger than the first phase.

Ronan leaned forward quietly, listening intently to what Blanco was about to say.

“You, Zoe, and Batty have already made a name for yourselves in the Provence art scene and are the ‘signatures’ of Lourmarin. In the future, many art-loving tourists will definitely come to Lourmarin. When leasing out the last two phases of the commercial street, we will increase the proportion of art-related shops and will also do some targeted leasing based on the styles of the three of you,” Blanco said, looking at Sylvie, who was in charge of leasing.

Sylvie explained to Ronan:
"No one else in Provence has done your dessert art. Batti's weaving is also a niche category in Provence. Although glass and ceramics are mainstream, there are very few artists who combine them. Zoe is the first to make a name for herself. Although the categories are niche, your works have fetched prices much higher than the average at auctions. We hope that the future Lourmarin shopping street will have niche and high-end attributes. This may be the direction for the next stage of investment attraction."

Claude, who is in charge of tourism operations, also has something to add to this:
"If we get the budget, our short-term goal for the next two years is to transform Lourmarin into a niche but upscale medieval village. This is based on our experience with star villages like Gordes and Mena, and it also aligns with our chosen path of rosé wine."

According to research, all wine-producing regions in Provence strive to cultivate a "high-end" image and strengthen their wine brands. For example, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, renowned for its red wines, emphasizes its historical authority, setting it apart from other regions. This strategy allows its wines to command higher prices.

Ronan became more and more excited as he listened.

It would be fantastic if Lourmarin could maintain its niche and high-end image in the future!
Ronan has decided to expand into woven furniture and other high-end handicrafts, and the village's image will help make the 'Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative' brand image more reliable.

And this road is even more helpful to rosé wine!

Ronan had been struggling with how to sell his 20-franc bottle of rosé at a higher price. This gave him another direction to explore – the influence of the wine region!
I should come to the Lourmaran government office more often in the future. Every time I come, I hear good news. Ronan suppressed the urge to laugh out loud and thought to himself.

He tried hard to control his expression, not wanting anyone to see that he was too excited.

He hasn't finished the 'preliminary preparations' yet, and he can't tell the government that he wants to take over a winery.

"Hold it in, now is not the time to say it!" Ronan kept reminding himself.

On the other side of the table, Blanco sighed silently.

Claude analyzed so many positive trends for rosé wine, but Ronan didn't react at all. It seems he has absolutely no interest in opening a winery.
It will definitely be a tough battle to force him to take over the winery next month.

To make things go more smoothly, Blanco laid the groundwork in advance:
“We have already considered the accommodation issue you mentioned. In the future, we will build new accommodations in Lourmarin to meet the needs of various groups, including the highest level. Bordeaux has a mature winery tourism model, and we plan to replicate it and build a state-of-the-art ‘château winery’ in Lourmarin.”

As Blanco observed Ronan's reaction, he reminded himself:

"Hold on, now's not the time to talk! We need to slowly throw out the 'bait' and wait for Ronan to take the bait!"

(End of this chapter)