France/Toulouse's attractiveness boosted by business recovery indicators

The effects of the health crisis on the Toulouse economy seem to be receding. This is essentially what the Toulouse Metropole Attractiveness Agency posted on Monday, March 28, 2022. The indicators of economic strength are picking up. This is enough to give hope to the actors of the different sectors.

A company created by Toulouse Métropole and the City of Toulouse, the Toulouse Métropole Attractiveness Agency (AAMT) aims toto manage policies or actions to promote the territory and to develop the economic and tourist appeal of the metropolis.

Through the Tourism Office, the Convention Bureau, the Invest in Toulouse development agency, the Film Office and the Territorial Marketing Agency, the AAMT conducts operations that contribute to the influence of Toulouse beyond its borders.

The agency has prepared a report on the activity generated in the city in 2021 by its various sectors.

Investments: 30 companies established

In 2021, the companies that have been established by Invest in Toulouse over the past few years have raised nearly 300 million euros in investments. Among the most important: Loft Orbital with €126 million, Universal Hydrogen (€56 million) and H3 Dynamics (€26 million). A total of 30 companies have set up shop, a third of them foreign, and 1,047 jobs have been created. The objective is to encourage the installation of companies with high added value, says the press release.

In March, the German group Evotec, which specializes in medical research, announced the construction of a bio-drug production site in the pink city.

Tourism: twice as many overnight stays as in 2020

With 3.4 million overnight stays, Toulouse Metropole has more than doubled the number reached in 2020. Toulouse welcomed 1.6 million visitors to its main tourist sites. For the Cité de l'espace, the figures are higher than 2019, the reference year before the health crisis.

• 1,084 guided tours were organized for groups and individual visitors.
• 17,000 tourist activities have been booked on the Tourist Office's reservation center.

The city hopes to increase the weekend occupancy rate to over 60% and reach 5 million overnight stays, while ensuring a balanced tourism development in partnership with neighboring territories, she said.

Business tourism

The city's stated objectives are to make Toulouse one of the scientific conference capitals in France and Europe and to be recognized as a sustainable destination.

More than 400 projects have been supported and 270 business meetings recorded in 2021. The promotional campaign for the pink city " Toulouse has everything" has generated over 1.6 million views.

1 million euros per year has been allocated to hosting large-scale international professional events. The inauguration of the MEETT exhibition center last September marks the resumption of professional events.

Toulouse is a land of film shoots for the cinema

The AAMT welcomes an exceptional record in 2021. For films and series shooting, the metropolis has supported 265 filming projects (12 professional shoots, 6 feature films) compared to 100 in 2020.

Among them, " Le cours de la vie " by Frédéric Sojcher, " Overdose " by Olivier Marchal, "Toi non plus t'as vu " by Béatrice Pollet, " En même temps " by Benoit Delépine and Gustave Kervern.

The studio Le Grand Set in Colomiers hosted " Mon Héroïne " by Noémie Lefort, " Frère et sœur " by Arnaud Desplechin), the TVJuliette dans son bain", 3 series "TouTouYouTou", "La Séria" and "Mensonges", 1 short film and 1 documentary on AZF.

The activity of the Bureau des Tournages represents 589 days of recordings compared to 231 in 2020. And for the first time, filming for the Amazon and OCS platforms was welcomed.

Source: france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr