How does a town reinvigorate a tourism industry based on religious visions?
But in recent years the number of visitors to Lourdes had declined substantially, creating an economic strain and leaving the town struggling to find solutions.
The centerpiece of Lourdes, a town of fewer than 15,000 residents that sees an estimated 5 million annual visitors,Visitors can walk through the grotto, touching the walls, sometimes as a priest conducts Mass in front. They then pass a series of fountains to fill jugs full of water or wait in line to bathe in the water from Bernadette’s stream. The Catholic Church says Lourdes has been the source of 70 medical miracles.
Hotels and restaurants struggled. The Notre Dame sanctuary ran a budget deficit for almost a decade as donations fell, piling up $11.2 million in losses. The sanctuary hired a former Renault executive in 2017 who slashed spending and managed to get its $34.4 million budget in the black last year. Officials began presenting Lourdes as a gateway to the Pyrenees with its spectacular scenery, year-round outdoor activities, and local culture. Hotels began offering packages with bike rentals, and other amenities. The town struck deals for more direct flights with a budget airline and Bourdeu embarked on an international promotional tour.
Local enthusiasm received a boost in the fall after Freeman was spotted in the Pyrenees filming an episode of his National Geographic TV series “The Story of God.” “What she did was extraordinary,” Bourdeu said during a recent interview. “She was a young girl who changed the destiny of Lourdes.”
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