In Mulhouse, the Greeters are innovating and now offer visits every Saturday morning. No need to book on Saturday mornings, the Greeters inhabitants are already ready and waiting for you on a firm footing! Ondine, in charge of the Mulhouse Greeters, answers our questions about the implementation of this initiative.
Balades on Mulhouse: what do the Greeters offer?
How did the Greeters’ idea come to Mulhouse?
The Mulhouse Greeters network was launched in 2011 by our former director, Guillaume Colombo. The idea of creating this project on Mulhouse, appeared obvious to him, following the discovery of some articles on the greeters of New York. He shared his idea with the rest of the team, who worked to bring this concept to life. Since then, we have launched a Greeters recruitment campaign, then quickly the creation of a dedicated website.
What types of visits do the Mulhouse Greeters offer?
We currently have 25 Greeters with different profiles. They offer walks on Mulhouse on various themes. The most appreciated are Street Art/painted walls/contemporary art, the discovery of the Old Mulhouse, the discovery of the industrial heritage through its industrial wastelands, parks and gardens, good urban plans (shopping and gastronomy), the textile heritage or the railway heritage.
« Recently, we wanted to propose more spontaneously, without prior reservation, walks on Mulhouse with a Greeter, from the Tourist Office, every Saturday from 10am to 12pm from May to September. »
What do your visitors appreciate when visiting with the Mulhouse Greeters?
The feedback from our visitors is always very positive and enthusiastic. They appreciate the exchanges, the warm and spontaneous side of our greeters. Friendships are sometimes even forged over the years between visitors and greeters! They feel the greeter’s passion for his city and therefore have the impression of living a unique and authentic experience!
How to enjoy the walks on Mulhouse on Saturday?
How to organize a visit with the Mulhouse Greeters ?
In general, the greeters walks:
- reserve 48 hours in advance by visiting www.greeters-mulhouse.com.
- You just have to choose your “preferred” greeter or opt for a theme.
Ondine D.
Resident adviser, in charge of the Greeters network at the Mulhouse Tourist Office since 1 year.
“I am in charge of managing the Greeters walks, as well as the animation of the “Greeters Mulhouse Alsace” network. I am working in collaboration with the director of the Mulhouse Tourist Office (Marie Garcin-Zaiter) on a new 2018 action plan.
Our objectives this year are: to increase the number of walks, in particular by offering spontaneous Saturday walks and soon walks from the campsite.
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The Mulhouse Tourist Office has taken over the management of the Mulhouse Camping a few weeks ago. We are thinking about broadening the idea of spontaneous walks from the Camping, every Wednesday morning in July and August. We also want to make the whole Mulhouse territory more widely known (the Mulhouse “M2A” agglomeration is made up of 39 municipalities). Some of our greeters have knowledge of other municipalities and can also offer walks outside the city of Mulhouse.
What are the advantages of this Saturday appointment?
The advantage for visitors is mainly to be able to enjoy a walk in Mulhouse with a city enthusiast in real time and spontaneously, without programming anything. The concept has been working well since the beginning of May, every Saturday another greeter takes over, which allows us to balance the walks between them. Visitors going to the Tourist Office, in order to obtain tourist information, leave delighted with a greeter for a totally improvised walk!
Thanks to this new project, we have already increased the number of walks in Mulhouse in May compared to last year.
Photos / Credit: OTC Mulhouse – photos Catherine KOHLER
Mulhouse in pictures…
