Inspiration

Behind the scenes at the Lake Annecy Tourist Office

The reception department, at the heart of the reactor

Jun. 2026

6 min.

Set in the heart of an exceptional region, whose picture-perfect scenery captivates visitors from far and wide, Lac Annecy Tourisme runs a comprehensive organisation dedicated to promoting the destination.

Just like this vibrant and authentic region, the faces of the Tourist Office reflect the very soul of the area.

Meet…

Organised around several departments – reception, communications, marketing, business tourism and CSR – the Tourist Office acts as a true orchestrator for the region.

It supports more than 480 partners, organises the tourism offering, raises the profile of local stakeholders and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

But behind this well-oiled machine, one department embodies the human connection with the destination more than any other: the reception department. The first point of contact, the first smile, the first piece of advice… it is often here, in the privacy of a personalised conversation, that the experience begins and takes on its full meaning.

The reception service: the tip of the iceberg… of knowledge

As the tip of the iceberg of a vast array of skills, the visitor reception service remains the cornerstone of tourist information centres, bringing together a wealth of technical expertise and, above all, unfailing interpersonal skills.

Behind the counters of the tourist information centres, a structured network of knowledge and communication comes together to make it a point of honour to promote the Lake Annecy destination as it deserves.

Nine permanent staff take turns working 335 days a year at the reception desks of the four permanent offices located in Annecy, Veyrier-du-Lac, Talloires-Montmin and Saint-Jorioz.

To support them and help open the temporary offices in Menthon-Saint-Bernard and Duingt, 10 seasonal staff join the team, either over an extended period from April to October, or as extra support during July and August.

For behind the warm and personalised welcome extended to every visitor – a mix of tourists and locals – the figures that shape the daily life of this key service are enough to make your head spin: 160,000 visitors a year, 87,000 tourist enquiries at reception, 22,000 calls and 7,800 emails dealt with… Suffice to say, the teams are kept on their toes!

Local expertise

As every enquiry requires a bespoke and personalised response, the visitor advisors orchestrate the visitors’ experience on a daily basis, welcoming and guiding them whilst ensuring that every visit is meaningful. Behind this constant flow of information lies a demanding task, carefully organised to keep the entire team up to date with the latest news, new developments and other points of interest that bring the region to life.

Christelle Charnaux, head of the visitor reception service, fully appreciates the scale of this task, constantly ensuring that information flows smoothly. Her primary focus is on one key objective: customer satisfaction.

“We need to know our local area inside out, but we must also promote best practice by carrying out extensive awareness-raising work on respect for natural areas, protected sites, activities and the environment. We also need to adopt a comprehensive educational approach, particularly with regard to hiking, which remains one of our flagship activities but requires caution, knowledge and skill,” explains Christelle Charnaux.

Warning about weather conditions, providing information on facilities, and raising awareness about physical fitness… these are all areas where these hospitality professionals have a key role to play.

“We can suggest other activities and also spark curiosity by pointing people towards more unusual places to discover. We make plenty of suggestions, even though, ultimately, it is the customer who decides! The advisory role we play is nonetheless a form of responsibility towards the people we welcome.”

Being a tourism adviser in Annecy means, above all, being an expert on the local area. And an expert… who never stops learning! Site visits, trialling walking routes, keeping a constant eye on new developments, and sharing information within the team: every effort is made to ensure that the information provided is reliable, up-to-date and of high quality.

A multifaceted profession

As well as providing verified and reliable information, the reception service has many other responsibilities:

Managing partners and members, which is carried out annually through regular meetings, prospecting activities and follow-up campaigns when membership renewals are due.
Updating tourist information via the Apidae database and collaborative platform, enabling the dissemination of data across the Tourist Office’s print and digital media (websites, mobile apps, interactive kiosks, publications).
The management of the “Accueil Vélo” scheme, which is a national scheme guaranteeing a warm welcome and high-quality services for cyclists travelling through the area.
Ticket office management: a service within a service that helps to promote shows, exhibitions, workshops and other activities.

Added to this are stock management, updating information documents, and marketing the advertising inserts in the brochures… This is by no means an exhaustive list of tasks that cut across the organisation’s various departments! “We’re always on the move; it’s a job that’s anything but compartmentalised,” says Christelle Charnaux.

A service at the heart of the local and tourism ecosystem

The visitor reception service never operates in isolation. It is linked not only to all the other departments within the Tourist Office but also to all local stakeholders, whatever their background.

Ticket sales, the Apidae database, partner management, promoting offers, highlighting events… these tasks are strategic and reflect a particular vision of local development.

The Paccard Museum: the story of a passion

With the launch of the ticketing service – which has been in place since 2009 but expanded to include online sales from 2016 onwards – the platform has become a key tool for promoting the local cultural offering and supporting those behind cultural initiatives.

This service, overseen by Patricia Chabord, requires day-to-day management. With nearly 200 shows and events listed online each year and some 19,000 tickets sold, the platform has provided access to a wealth of valuable information that might previously have slipped under the teams’ radar.

“It has opened the doors to small venues, theatres and organisations for us, and enabled us to get to know artists and companies who are doing wonderful things. It’s a real bonus for us, but it’s also a genuine service for them, as they have neither the time nor the resources to set up online ticketing systems. It’s a wonderful exchange of skills that brings us a great deal,” emphasises Patricia Chabord.

Faces, life stories, a shared passion

Behind the front-of-house team are, above all, dedicated individuals who are passionate about their work.

It is not uncommon to find highly experienced staff such as Christelle and Patricia, who have been with us for two decades, as well as those with long and distinguished careers, such as the department’s longest-serving member, who, at 64, still retains the same enthusiasm and drive for her work.

“We also take great pleasure in welcoming young seasonal workers; they bring a fresh perspective and help us maintain a balance between experience and a willingness to question the status quo. It’s a real process of passing on knowledge,” adds Christelle Charnaux.

Over the years, the visitor information centre has become a genuine hub for local information, going far beyond the scope of traditional tourist information. Transport, events, culture, practical services… the range of enquiries is becoming increasingly varied.

“We sometimes even provide guidance on civil status matters!” … Because, contrary to popular belief, visitors are not always self-sufficient: “People are a bit overwhelmed by information… They are turning to us more and more to put together turnkey itineraries. We act as facilitators for their stay, and even the youngest visitors still call on our services despite the tools available to them,” concludes Christelle Charnaux.

If we had to sum up the essence of the reception service in a single sentence, it would undoubtedly be this:

“Whatever our mission, our guiding principle is service“. Service to visitors, of course. But also service to local residents, partners and, more broadly, the local area.

With one constant commitment: to leave no stone unturned in our quest to provide accurate information.

Sharing our knowledge of the area with you

A story of passing on

The visitor information service at Lac Annecy Tourisme embodies a deeply human approach to tourism, all year round.

A form of tourism where we take the time to listen, understand and offer advice; where every interaction counts; and where, behind every response, there is a face, proven experience and an understanding of what visitors expect… even if those expectations may sometimes seem a little out of the ordinary!

“We live in and know our region well, but we must be able to put ourselves in visitors’ shoes. We sometimes have to explain that the Mer de Glace is not navigable, but this is a mistake we might well make ourselves in other places, particularly abroad. This little quirk brings a smile to our faces and helps us realise that what is obvious to us is not necessarily so for someone discovering the area for the first time. Not everyone fully understands the very concept of elevation gain, and yet it is almost more important than distance in our mountains.”

National Collection of Asian Flowering Cherry Trees

A solid general knowledge, a keen sense of curiosity and strong language skills are essential qualities for this profession. Added to this are good listening skills and patience, as well as a healthy dose of kindness and unfailing adaptability, because it is often right there, at the counter of a tourist information office, that the experience of Lake Annecy truly begins – and that a warm welcome can make all the difference.