I was born and raised in Normandy, France, which undoubtedly influenced my fascination with this subject. I pursued this passion in my education at the University of Caen, where I studied English language, history and tourism. Both of my grandfathers were prisoners of war in Germany. The challenges they faced provided another foundation for my interest in the WWII era, which has always been a strong focus of mine. Having grown up in Normandy, I couldn't help but explore the stories of American heroes in WWII. My European background provides a special perspective, and I knew I could find a way to bring those experiences to life for others who share my respect for this subject. As a result, I worked at the Utah Beach Museum in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont for twenty years before we founded this company. In my last seven years at the museum, I had served as General Manager, and I quickly found my passion in this work: the joy of community and shared interest in historical tourism, which has been an incredible inspiration. That unique connection, and the chance to exchange stories of heroism and sacrifice through collective experiences, have been the driving force behind this new initiative. As of January 1, 2024, I devote all my time to Beaches of Normandy Tours and to preserving the legacy of the Greatest Generation.
My husband, who serves as the President of our new venture, shares this passion. He chased his interests abroad, expanding his horizons in higher education in the United States before coming to France to put his experience to work. He shares my excitement and motivation for connecting people with history and engaging with like-minded people who share a dedication to history and an appreciation for the heroism of men and women who came before us. We worked together at Utah Beach Museum for several years, where we realized we wanted to grow our work in this area and step into the field of historical tourism. Our success at the Utah Beach Museum, the joy of working together, and the realization that we made an excellent team in this field gave us the final push we needed to establish this company in 2021.
As the 2020 pandemic has changed the historical tourism landscape, we recognized the need for full-service tours that help Americans connect with their history around the world in a reliably secure and comfortable manner. I gathered a multinational group of my most passionate peers to create a heritage-driven project based on relevant experience and dedication to this goal, and thus began: Beaches of Normandy Tours. Our mission is bringing history to life and to celebrate the men and women who came before us, with the aid of local experts and historians.
"The tour exceeded my expectations” - this is what we hear from most of our Passengers after they completed one of our tours. To prove that we provide the best service on the historical tour market, we encourage you to read reviews from our customers. One can find written and video reviews on our website, our Google and Facebook pages. Over the years, we have already achieved many of our objectives, the satisfaction of our Passengers being the most important among them.
Severine Diaz
General Manager of Beaches of Normandy Tours
