Jean-Louis Masson
Four pillars for growth in the Var
Par Maurice Gouiran
© N.Lacroix, CD83 Inauguration du stand du Département du Var à Paris le mercredi 1er mars. Salon International de l’Agriculture 2023
Since October 2022, when he became President of the Council for the Var département, Jean-Louis Masson has defined an innovative governance framework based on the four foundations of equity, solidarity, communication and identity. Too little is known of the richness and diversity of the Var, which stretches from the Côte d’Azur to Provence and the mountains of the Préalpes. It gets more guest nights per year than any other département (Paris aside). It also boasts one of the country’s finest coastlines, an unequalled forest cover and surprising economic capability thanks to its capital city Toulon, with construction, farming, engineering, crafts and other business sectors. Starting from these facts, Jean-Louis Masson’s idea is simple enough: the Var should strengthen its place and its identity in today’s hyperconnected world. This will involve territorial equity (the recent 30% increase in aid to the communes will increased to a total of €48 million in 2023). It will also mean new amenities for tourism, culture, sports and local heritage (e.g. renovation of outstanding wilderness areas, creation of new footpath circuits for exploring the countryside). Two of Jean-Louis Masson’s cultural projects have great potential for tourism: these are Unesco recognition of the Maures hills’ Géopark, and routes commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1944 landings in Provence.
