France is the leading tourist destination in the world. The concept of French tourism is linked to rural tourism whose definition remains unclear. INSEE talks about tourism in the countryside, or green tourism; rural tourism accounts for about 85% of French territory (mountain resorts, suburban communities, etc.) In addition, today we increasingly link the concept of tourism to that of ecotourism.
This latter concept is a recent movement that proposes to offer entertainment, sightseeing and leisure bases while respecting the environment. This notion is also committed to the promotion of tourism products from local farms, and factories. These are often limited to small-scale territories (linked to rural tourism), and tourism products (linked to agro-tourism and ecotourism). Tourism is defined as the experience from the moment you leave the residence for a stay between 24 hours to 4 months for reasons of licensing, health, business or study.
The organization of tourism
Green tourism was probably first favored by the State Contract Plan / Regions which emerge in the 1980s.
In the 1970s:
Historically, rural tourism was linked to the rural exodus in the 1970s. It covered people who left the countryside to live in the city, to attend family parties (weddings, births, deaths etc.), and returned in some time. These trips to the family were encouraged by the creation of paid leave (two weeks in 1936, 3 in 1956, 4 and 5 in 1963 since 1982). Moreover, the rise of the automobile encouraged the visits to families. Today, 80% of households have at least one car.
In the 1970s, rural tourism was associated with the visits to the family. This is a type of social tourism generated by family ties and has virtually no impact on the economy. Today, over 50% of the tourism in the countryside takes place due to family ties. In addition, since 1970, a spirit of returning to the earth has emerged. Green tourism is thus embodied by neo-rural offerings of local produce and rural houses. These offers give rise to a form of tourism that is, somehow, the embryo of the current ecotourism.
However, it remains diffuse and unstructured. Associative networks now are beginning to develop. These networks are quickly recovered by local officials who see them as a lifeline in times of crisis in rural economies.
Tags: France¸ leading tourist destination, rural tourism, ecotourism, neo-rural offerings, Green tourism, small-scale territories
[...] II) The partners of tourism Private owners There are around 2.8 million private owners in France, including 1.5 million in rural areas. They offer accommodation, and rent or occupy their homes. This phenomenon of second homes grew in the 1970s, and is experiencing a certain level of stagnation today. From the moment these private owners retired from active service, these properties became their second home or their primary residence. This transformation had an economic impact, however small, because the number of beds reduced. [...]
[...] Green tourism has an especially pleasant impact in terms of planning. Often tourism projects are led by European funding which brings customers, and provides local economic development. However, the government should invest in building and integrating structures which are able to offer tourist events. Elected officials no longer hesitate to come together to promote territories. For example, the Maison de France is a tool to promote the area, both nationally and internationally. French regions are the most popular tourist line in Geneva and Bordeaux. [...]
[...] Green tourism is thus embodied by neo-rural offerings of local produce and rural houses. These offers give rise to a form of tourism that is, somehow, the embryo of the current ecotourism. However, it remains diffuse and unstructured. Associative networks now are beginning to develop. These networks are quickly recovered by local officials who see them as a lifeline in times of crisis in rural economies. Since 1980 Since 1980, the decentralization laws appeared in regions and departments. Tourism thus began to take shape. [...]
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