The Limited Edition Summer: Why Fewer Beds Mean a Better Alpine Experience

In the tourism industry, the conventional wisdom is often “more is better.” The Vallée des Belleville, however, is challenging this notion with a counterintuitive but highly effective summer strategy: deliberately limiting its accommodation to create a more exclusive and sustainable experience.
A tourism official from Les Menuires revealed the stark numbers: the valley’s bed capacity drops from 27,000 in the ski season to just 8,000 in summer. This is not due to a lack of demand, but a conscious choice to control visitor numbers and prevent the negative impacts of overtourism.
This “less is more” approach has a profound effect on the quality of the visit. It means that trails like the Grand Tour de Tarentaise are never congested, and hikers can experience the genuine solitude of valleys like Varlossière. It ensures that the mountain refuges, while bustling, are not chaotically overcrowded.
By creating this “limited edition” summer, the Vallée des Belleville enhances the value of its tourism product. Visitors are treated to a higher-quality, more personal experience, and the fragile Alpine environment is protected from excessive strain. It’s a bold strategy that proves that in the business of nature tourism, scarcity can be a significant asset.