Eñvor

Tourism in Brittany attracts around 13 million visitors a year. An important sector of the region's economy, it accounts for just under 10% of the region's GDP, and directly employs just under 70,000 people. Seasonal activity extends from May to September, and is mainly concentrated on the coast, particularly in the departments of Finistère and Morbihan. The first tourists visited the region in the early 19th century, attracted by the quality of its mineral waters and the opportunity to enjoy sea bathing. The first seaside resorts appeared on the coast in the 1830s, as in Saint-Malo, gradually replacing therapeutic motivation with more hedonistic dynamics. The social base gradually broadened until the inter-war years, becoming less aristocratic and more bourgeois. Activities diversified to include a form of cultural tourism, focusing on the countryside and certain aspects of Breton culture. The advent of paid vacations in 1936 brought Brittany into the era of mass tourism, and the need to protect the environment from its excesses. While seaside tourism is concentrated on the coast and represents the largest pole of activity, ecotourism is also notable in central Brittany, complemented by urban tourism in Brittany's biggest cities. The region's culture and heritage are just as much a reason to visit as its natural sites, gastronomy and leisure activities (festivals, sports facilities, etc.).