The Estuary of the Seine represents a territory of 3929km² situated in the centre of France’s west coast. It is home to approximately 600,000 inhabitants, of which 255,000 reside in the Le Havre agglomeration.

The City of Le Havre is located at the mouth of the Seine and was built around a port that opens to the English Channel. The city’s international relationships are closely connected to its maritime and port history. Like many European cities today, Le Havre has reached a crucial point in its existence. A city’s economy can no longer be centred around maritime trade in the same way that it could last century, and with the help of the Global Compact Cities Programme, Le Havre has risen to the occasion to invest heavily in tourism, while striving to place environmental awareness at the heart of the local mentality.

Le Havre has been a member of the  Cities Programme since 2006. The city’s local government identified sustainable tourism as key not only to the future of the city, but also to the Seine River estuary as a whole. Sustainable development is a central concept in the municipal policies of Le Havre. Eco-tourism in the region has been promoted through three different projects concerned with the environmental preservation of cliffs and the coastline, reserves and natural parks and wildlife.