I have just been in the village of Gordes, in Provence, for the fourth time. My first visit was in 2007, so I have seen it over a number of years. Gordes is one of the places that almost all guidebooks provide strong encouragement to visit, but in truth there isn't a great deal to do in the village itself - the main attraction is really the site itself, particularly if one is driving in along the main road from the valley below.
There is more to occupy one's time in nearby Roussillon, where the ochre quarries are of considerable interest. The Abbey of Sénanque, which must be one of the most familiar images of Provence from calendars, all pictures being taken during the few days when the lavender in front of the abbey is at its best, is a couple of kilometres away (and actually lies within the commune of Gordes although not the village itself). There is an ancient village of circular stone-built huts in the opposite direction. Gordes has a small castle, and a number of viewpoints over the valley below, but not a great deal more - apart from restaurants and bars.
Nevertheless, I have been back four times in the last few years, and I certainly find it an atmospheric and attractive location. But something I have noticed, particularly on my most recent visit, has been that Gordes is changing - and doing so quite rapidly.
Where in 2007, when I first came, one could get an evening meal in the hotels or in two other restaurants at opposite ends of the quality scale, today, in 2019, there are upwards of 10 restaurants operating, and even in late September and early October booking is essential for a table for dinner - and prices are substantial. The two original places - l'Artégal and l'Estaminet - have been joined by the Bastide de Pierres (owned by the biggest hotel a little down the road), La Trinquette, the Crêperie de Fanny, Le Jardin, the Restaurant l'Outsider and more. The friendly (and cheap) boulangerie near the church is still open from the crack of dawn onwards, but another on the other side of the square has closed. Some of the bars have become either restaurants or fast food places. The Cercle Républicain remains a traditional bar welcoming all comers, local and visitors alike, for 365 days a year but makes few concessions to visitors - its plate of croissants and pains chocolats is quickly depleted in the morning and not afterwards recharged. I hope the Cercle can last as it is.
Breakfast in the Cercle Républicain
On this visit I missed the extensive Provençal market held on a Tuesday on both sides of the castle, but I suspect little will have changed at that, other than more stalls aimed at tourists (selling Marseille soap, Provençal herbs, lavender bags and so on) than in the past.
But at all times of the day Gordes is thronged with visitors - among them many from Asia or from Eastern Europe - who are asked to park outside the village and walk in. Those who don't stay to eat or drink will, I expect, stay an hour but not much longer. They will visit the souvenir shops (where a high proportion of the merchandise on sale, pleasingly, is from the local region). But they will stay in the top part of the village rather than descending the cobbled paths to the valley bottom where some of the oldest and most interesting properties lie. One afternoon I spent an hour sketching down there and during that time only two couples passed me, whilst the square up above was busy with visitors.
Gordes is typical of many tourist villages in France, and more widely across Europe - a stop on a day's touring by car, a 'must see' in the guidebook, a few photographs, a coffee or soft drink, possibly a small purchase, and then on to the next place. But I have watched the main road into the village in the evening, the one that comes past the viewpoint, and seen that it is almost devoid of traffic. The rhythm of visits lasts from around 10 until 6. So do the new restaurants make enough of a living from lunch visitors alone? But as I've already commented, a booking is needed for dinner. Where do the diners come from? And what is happening to the village and its inhabitants more generally?
I have been delving into the available statistics from the French national statistical office, and they make very interesting reading (and, again, are, I suspect, typical of many other places).
There are actually only 164 hotel rooms in Gordes, 45% of them in 5 star establishments and with nothing below 2 star. This is high class (and expensive) hotel tourism. The 'best' hotel has recently joined the 'Grand Luxury Hotels of the World' marketing group: after a recent refurbishment it now dresses its staff in mock eighteenth century outfits, presumably aimed at impressing an American clientele. There is only one camp site (at 3 star), with 100 pitches. But added to these are 615 bed spaces in rented properties, air bnb, bed-and-breakfast offerings and so on. Most of these are in the rural areas surrounding the village, and many of them are extensively advertised through English- or Dutch- language web sites. They are, in the main, up-market properties with a range of amenities including, sometimes, pools, and they are almost all stone-built providing the fantasy, for urban residents from elsewhere in France or Europe more generally, of living for a week or so in an authentic rural setting.
People have been visiting Gordes for decades, since those parts that were destroyed by Nazi bombardment during the war were rebuilt - among those who came were Marc Chagall and François Mitterrand. But some who come decide to stay, or at least to purchase a stake in the village. (There are more estate agents now than there were in 2007.) In 2011 just over 40% of properties in Gordes were second homes; by 2016 that had risen to 46%. During the same period the resident population had fallen, by 9%, from 2056 to 1873. The scope for further growth in second homes is considerable - in 2016 there were over 150 vacant properties in Gordes, although most would require significant investment to make them habitable for prosperous buyers expecting certain standards of accommodation.
And what about the residents of today's Gordes? They are elderly. In 2011 41% were over 60: by 2016 that had risen to 49.4%. By now (2019) over half the population must be in that age category. And the education level of residents is high - over one third have a degree level or professional qualification. It seems as if the retirees are of high status.
Second homes in the lower part of the village
Gordes is undergoing a dual process of growth in the tourist industry, and of a move upmarket in terms of who is attracted to it and the surrounding area. But tourism is growing not through new hotel capacity - instead it is day visits and self-catering activity that lead development. What use are day visits to tourist villages? They create traffic congestion and the amount spent by visitors may be low. Self-catering may provide an income for landlords, but I have the suspicion that many of these are not local residents and may even be property companies based abroad. But their tenants do create a demand for restaurants - even if they drive to a supermarket on the edge of a nearby town such as Apt or Cavaillon for their shopping. The permanent residents are ageing, and the hotels increasingly depend on migrant staff. The employee that came to check my room one evening was from Moldova and spoke virtually no French or English - and my Romanian runs only to buna seara (good evening) and multumesc (thank you).
Gordes is still very well worth a visit. But what is going on under the surface of tourist villages such as this poses interesting questions about what the future will hold.
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