Capped by a pointed medieval spire, Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most enchanting places in France. It looks like something out of a fairy tale. This rocky island off the coast of Normandy, surrounded by water or sand, depending on the high or low tide, receives nearly three million visitors a year, an ever-increasing influx that has forced steps to manage it.
Victor Hugo, the great lover of Norman wonders, had already declared in 1884, when the Mont Saint-Michel received pilgrims and not tourists, that this enclave was equivalent to the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and that it was necessary to preserve it, at great cost. It was “this double work of art and nature”.
This cultural and natural gem with its medieval abbey is located 350 kilometres from Paris.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 and the second most visited historical monument in France after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, this isolated island is managed by a public body, dependent on the state, which has been operating for only three years. Although it is not easy to reach the Mont Saint-Michel, which is some 350 kilometres from Paris, its international fame has made it an irresistible attraction. Neither the mayor nor the general director of the public body want to impose quotas, as happens in Venice or the bays of Marseille. Originally a religious pilgrimage destination, this weighs against the possibility of breaking down borders. There is clearly an attempt to regulate the flow and distribute it as reasonably as possible so that the experience of visiting in such a narrow space does not become a nightmare of stress and exhaustion.
There are several ways to control overcrowding. There have been advertising campaigns in the Paris Métro advising against visiting in the off-season. One of the most effective tools is the policy of pricing large car parks, on the continent, which must be used, then walked or taken by free buses across the bridge. Prices vary depending on the season and are lower early in the morning or late in the evening, with free access from 6.30pm. Another source is the municipal police, who intervene to direct people and force them off the main thoroughfare, the Grande Rue, when it is full.
Technology, especially artificial intelligence, could be a very useful tool for the future. Orange’s Flux Vision system has already been tested at Mont Saint-Michel. Antennas pick up the mobile phone signal of visitors, even at a distance from the pocket, providing valuable information on their number, nationality and location. The data allows the public authority to respond to needs and plan better. In the future, it is believed that engineers will be able to create algorithms capable of processing all the information and, in the event of a breakdown, alerting via SMS those preparing to go there to delay entry. Victor Hugo could not have imagined such a miracle to enjoy his beloved Mont Saint-Michel. Perhaps the mind of his contemporary Jules Verne had foreseen it.
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