The island of Bréhat (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 June 14 by the Mayor Olivier Carré. “Access for day visitors to Île de 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 municipality’s website.
The island, which has 377 permanent inhabitants and which is covered by two Natura 2000 areas, faces a high tourist influx in the summer period.
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 over a year. On some spring weekends and in July and August, the peak in visitor numbers exceeds 5,000 per day “to sometimes reach close to 6,000 people”.
“60% of these visitors go to the Paon lighthouse [north of the island, opposite the port of arrival, editor’s note], these peaks have a proven impact on the protection of the site and its implementation. value”, adds the decree, with in particular a “strong erosion” of the path leading to this lighthouse. The decree also points out that “the municipality is unable to process a volume of waste multiplied by ten during the summer season due to the hyperfrequentation 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”.
