Economic Development

Economic development is one of the Region’s great strengths, bolstered by the “NOTRe” law passed on 7 August 2015. Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée aims to promote shared economic development, a source of value creation and social progress.
This is why our policies, in line with the wider European framework, target three major objectives: sustainable employment, innovation and business internationalisation.

Next stop, employment and innovation !

In early 2017, the Region adopted its official Strategy for Employment and Growth (SREC), as well as the Regional Blueprint for Economic Development, Innovation and Internationalisation (SRDEII), covering tourism, agriculture, and the social and solidarity economy.
The revision of economic measures employed by the region in mid-2017 will specify the aid packages awarded to businesses, support for internationalisation, property investment aid, and support for innovation and enhancement of the region’s economic appeal.

The Region’s highly-localised support measures will help upgrade farming operations, artisanal trades, very small enterprises (VSEs) and small enterprises, as well as medium-sized enterprises.
At the same time, the Region will also encourage consolidation among organised business sectors, such as aeronautics, construction, tourism, food production and winemaking, as well as providing structure for emerging sectors that will form the economy of tomorrow, including renewable energy, e-health and digital services. The digital sector is one of the key targets for regional investment. Bolstered by the development of its start-ups and two cities carrying the “French Tech” label, the Region is working to make our economy more competitive.

Regional Policies

Innovation, Employment and growth of local businesses

The Region is committed to supporting innovation, employment and the growth of local enterprises.

  • Supporting small businesses and aiding in entrepreneurial and innovative projects
  • Supporting established sectors, competitive clusters and business hubs
  • Supporting stakeholders whose role is to provide everyday guidance for businesses

Key Facts:

  • 108,000 people employed in the aeronautics and construction industries
  • Aeronautics is the second-biggest business sector in the region
  • Over 86,000 people are directly employed in the aeronautics and space industries, accounting for 40% of the region’s industrial jobs
Tourism and Thermal Spas

The Region has developed a plan to support operators in the tourism sector, which represents the second-biggest economic sector in Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée with 108,000 jobs.

  • Implementation of the Regional Blueprint for Tourism and Leisure
  • Structuring operators and regional organisations
  • Supporting competitiveness and quality certification in local tourism (particularly regarding the region’s major attractions and landmarks), creating and developing tourist facilities, restructuring and professionalising tourism operators

Key Facts:

  • 108,000 employed in the tourism sector
  • €13 billion in tourism revenues
  • 1326 camp sites with 159,700 spaces
  • 23 million nights spent in outdoor accommodation
  • 2,037 hotels and 65,700 rooms
  • 15.5 million nights spent in hotels
  • 41 ski resorts
  • 31% of France’s thermal spa market
  • France’s top tourist region in terms of capacity
  • 4th-biggest tourist destination in France
Localised economy

Regional policies aim to make local jobs more sustainable, and to establish local distribution channels in order to increase competitiveness and avoid economic displacement.

  • Supporting investments (innovation, exports, integration of digital services)
  • Financial support for very small enterprises, artisanal enterprises and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE)
  • Supporting the development of the Social and Solidarity Economy (business incubators, nurseries, etc.)
  • Maintaining and developing artisanal businesses and rural commercial activity
  • Supporting local distribution channels and localised farming

Key Facts:

  • France’s top agricultural region, encouraging consumption of local produce
  • Local agricultural production generating revenues of €21.5 billion, of which €5 billion is through exports
  • 2,000 small and medium-sized enterprises and very small enterprises provided with €150 million in aid packages
  • The regional “Sud de France” umbrella brand unites 3,000 local producers and 9,000 quality products