Ville Fleurie

  • Harriet Bols
The ski tracks left imprinted upon the snow are not the only marks left behind by tourists. The rising popularity of snow sports in the Alps has created large social and environmental impacts on resorts. This project documents the impact of tourism on a small French Alpine village named Samoëns. A traditional resort situated in the heart of the Giffre Valley, in the Grand Massif Alpine area. Labelled as a “Ville Fleurie”, the village is declared to be one of the most beautiful in the whole of France. Samoëns is rapidly transforming into a resort that can take on an increasing number of tourists, however with this comes inevitable environmental implications due to the increasing real-estate development, change in infrastructure and the desire and demand for bigger, better and more efficient ski-lifts and services up on the mountains.