Côtes-d'Armor: the island of Bréhat will regulate the flow of tourists

The island of Bréhat, in the Côtes-d'Armor, will for the first time this summer limit the influx of tourists to a maximum of 4,700 visitors per day on weekdays, from July 14 to August 25, according to a decree issued on Tuesday by the Mayor Olivier Carré. "Access for day visitors to the island of Bréhat is limited from July 14 to August 25, 2023 to a maximum of 4,700 people from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays", specifies the decree. , available on the city's website.

The island, which has 377 permanent inhabitants and which is covered by two Natura 2000 areas, faces a high tourist influx in summer. According to a study carried out for the town in 2021 and 2022 by the Littomatique company, the number of crossings from the continent to Bréhat is around 450,000 people over a year. Some spring weekends and in July and August, the peak of the number of visitors exceeds 5000 per day “to sometimes reach almost 6000 people”. “60% of these visitors go to the Paon lighthouse (north of the island, opposite the port of arrival, Ed); (…) these peaks have a proven impact on the protection of the site and its development”, adds the decree, with in particular a “strong erosion” of the path leading to this lighthouse.

The decree also emphasizes that "the municipality is unable to process a volume of waste multiplied by 10 during the summer season due to the hyper-frequentation compared to a winter month". A study by the Association des Îles du Ponant (AIP), cited by the decree, reports a "decrease in the satisfaction of visitors to the island (which) decreases rapidly in the event of high attendance on the site" .