A campsite in the French Pyrenees has received international recognition after winning an award at the 2025 European Tourism Trends Fair (Sett), one of Europe’s largest trade events for the outdoor hospitality sector.
Le Pain de Sucre, a three-star campsite located in Gavarnie-Gèdre in southwestern France, was awarded the “Dream Spot” prize during the Sett Awards ceremony held in autumn 2025 at the Montpellier Exhibition Center. The campsite is situated at an elevation of approximately 1,200 meters along the Gave River between the villages of Gèdre and Gavarnie, near the Cirque de Gavarnie, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to campsite manager Claude Trescazes, the recognition extends beyond the property itself and highlights the broader appeal of the destination.
“More than the campsite, it is the whole destination that has been rewarded with this award,” says the 55-year-old manager and former president of the Hautes-Pyrénées campsite union. “In our Gaves valley, holidaymakers come a lot for nature, hiking but also to contemplate the mountains. It is this whole philosophy that is rewarded.”
The Sett Awards are presented annually by a jury composed of outdoor hospitality professionals. The awards recognize tourism businesses across several categories, including the “Dream Spot” distinction, which focuses on exceptional locations and visitor experiences.
Trescazes said the application was initiated by the campsite’s marketing and reception manager.
“Stéphanie, the campsite’s marketing and reception manager, suggested that I apply for this prize,” smiles Claude Trescazes. “We sent a promotional video to the jury, made up exclusively of professionals in the sector, who designated us as winners on the day of the ceremony. It’s a first for us! This allowed us to have some spin-offs, in particular with articles in specialized magazines about camping.”
Founded in 1984, Le Pain de Sucre was established on land that had previously been used as a sheepfold and for agricultural activities.
The campsite was created by Trescazes’ parents, Maryse and Bernard Trescazes, as a supplementary business venture during a period when many farming families were diversifying their income streams.
“Before, it was a sheepfold with pasture and mowing meadows,” Claude Trescazes tells La Dépêche du Midi. “My parents Maryse and Bernard, like many farmers at that time, wanted to develop a complementary activity by creating a campsite. And I, like Obelix, fell into it when I was little…”
Apart from his military service, Trescazes has spent his entire career at the campground and officially became manager in 2001. Since the most recent municipal elections, he has also served as mayor of Gavarnie-Gèdre.
Today, the campsite offers 54 pitches, most of them non-serviced sites designed for travelers seeking a traditional outdoor experience. Amenities include a bar-restaurant and a playground, though the property’s primary attraction remains its mountain setting.
“It’s still a small campsite, open eight months a year,” says Claude Trescazes. “People don’t come for the services but for the setting. They come to take the time to observe the mountains, to recharge their batteries in contact with nature, etc. We are in a remote place, a little far from everything… In fact, there are not many of us who live here all year round (about 350 inhabitants). But the view and the setting are incomparable, many envy us!”
For outdoor hospitality professionals, the award highlights a continuing trend within the camping and glamping sectors: travelers increasingly value authentic natural environments and destination-based experiences as much as, or more than, extensive on-site amenities.
Recognition programs such as the Sett Awards also demonstrate how smaller, independently operated campgrounds can raise their profile through strong destination branding, storytelling, and preservation of local character, even while competing in a market that often emphasizes large-scale facilities and resort-style offerings.
The recognition of Le Pain de Sucre at the 2025 Sett Awards underscores the commercial potential of nature-focused tourism destinations and the growing importance of place-based experiences in the European outdoor hospitality market.