The deployment of attendance measurement devices is often conditioned by external requirements, in particular in the context of public funding.
On the greenway connecting Xonrupt to Longemer, the Vosges department has thus installed two pedestrian/cyclist counters, positioned directly along the route, without any specific layout.
This installation is part of a call for projects, including an obligation to assess the infrastructure.
“We acquired the equipment in response to a call for projects from the State which required an assessment of the development (meter).”
The project also benefitted from regional co-financing, facilitating initial investment.
“There was also funding from the region for this type of equipment. So we took advantage of two funders.”
In this context, the implementation of counting does not only respond to an internal need, but to a requirement of justification vis-à-vis public partners.
However, an important constraint has emerged: the absence of a budget dedicated to the operation of the system over the long term.
“We had no budget to cover the annual contract amount — no operation.”
Continued monitoring was made possible by a specific organization, based on a transfer of management to a local actor.
“We have delegated management to the tourist office, they are the ones who manage the attendance statistics. We are happy that the office has taken it over otherwise we should have stopped.”
The data collected is thus used by the tourist office and transmitted to institutional partners, in particular the Grand Est Region.
“Monitoring of tourist attendance by the tourist office and meeting an obligation of the funder.”
This case highlights the frequent reality of development projects: The measurement of attendance is often inseparable from financing and governance logics, and its sustainability depends as much on organizational arrangements as on technical choices.
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