Les associations françaises de tourisme social face aux politiques européennes

<p>Since 1936, French social tourism has developed through a combination of government support and the creativity of activists, who have often come from community educational institutions, the unions and religious organizations. This joint effort now appears threatened by the proposed directive on services in the EU. In this context, social tourism associations have been trying to get the public interest nature of their activities recognized so that a specific set of regulations and public subsidies can be maintained. The article shows, however, that trying to get social tourism associations recognized as providers of a public interest service faces two major obstacles at the European level: the absence of a right to vacation and the dominant role of commercial tourism. Beyond the current controversies about the services directive, the fundamental debate concerns the need for a social policy on tourism and vacation in partnership with the nonprofit associations offering an &ldquo;alternative&rdquo; type of tourism in terms of the population involved, activities practiced, distribution of profits, territorial integration, protection of the environment, and form of governance.</p>