Discover the commitments behind the Canal
Find here the structural commitments of the Société du Canal Seine-Nord Europe and the project partners.
Discover the commitments behind the Canal
Find here the structural commitments of the Société du Canal Seine-Nord Europe and the project partners.
In addition to its primary function of transporting goods, the Seine-Nord Europe Canal represents a real asset for the image and tourist attractiveness of Hauts-de-France. Last October, the SCSNE, Hauts-de-France Tourisme, the Oise Tourisme, Pas-de-Calais Tourisme, Somme Tourisme agencies and the Nord Department signed an agreement to promote tourism for the Seine-Nord Europe Canal.
Decoding with Daniel Fasquelle, President of Hauts-de-France Tourism…
Hauts-de-France Tourisme is implementing the regional tourism strategy with all stakeholders in the region. Regarding the Canal, we have already begun discussions about its integration into what we call the "Regional Narrative." I tend to say, "There's no attractiveness without identity." And in concrete terms, the Seine-Nord Europe Canal is a true embodiment of the Hauts-de-France identity. Through its technical challenges and exceptional dimensions, it illustrates the indomitable spirit of our region and its inhabitants. It is also part of History, with a capital H, embodying the Third Industrial Revolution. The Canal also evokes itinerant tourism, close to nature and wide-open spaces.
River tourism includes all activities on the water, while river tourism refers to activities that can be carried out on the banks of a canal or a river, for example.
In terms of river tourism, the Seine-Nord Europe Canal will represent a development opportunity for the hotel barge market but also for river cruise ships, in particular by offering a new route between Amsterdam and Paris for cruises. River cruises that promote increasingly sought-after gentle tourism, that is to say the art of traveling while taking one's time, soaking up the nature that surrounds us, the richness of our heritage...
The Canal will also be open to pleasure boating for individuals. The development of a marina and a pleasure boat stopover are also planned in the Somme and will be accessible to all these types of boats.
In terms of river tourism, I would mainly mention what is also called know-how tourism, around the engineering of structures that will become emblematic of the Canal: 3 locks among the highest in Europe, which will be open to the public, and the Somme Canal Bridge, a structure of more than 1,3 km located 30 meters high, also accessible to walkers. Walkers who will be well off with 200 km of developed Canal banks and connected in particular to the gentle paths of the Somme and Oise Valleys, themselves connected to Euro Vélo 4, linking Roscoff to kyiv, and 3 which goes from Trondheim in Norway to Santiago de Compostela!
This is economic discovery tourism. For the Canal, the aim is to showcase it during its construction itself through site visits. Locals and tourists from further afield will thus gain a better understanding of how a 21st-century canal is designed and how its many technical challenges are met! For example, visits are planned starting in 2026 to discover the first lock under construction in Montmacq and Cambronne-lès-Ribécourt in the Oise region.
Tourism partners will be able to get down to developing new tourist offers integrating the Seine-Nord Europe Canal, then marketing them. This is being prepared now with river cruise operators, for example, who plan their offers and boats several years in advance. The development of the service offer in the territories must also be anticipated, in terms of catering and accommodation for example, and sometimes be adapted to a foreign clientele such as Americans or Australians.
80 is the number of jobs that exist today in the tourism sector in Hauts-de-France. It is already a large sector and the Seine-Nord Europe Canal will contribute to developing this figure further.
