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542 social tourism
social tourism
Social tourism is an extremely diverse and complex
phenomenon, and its meanings vary depending on
the time periods and countries under discussion. A
partial list of terms which may be synonymous with
social tourism gives a good idea of the breadth and
complexity of social tourism: it may include
tourism for workers, for families, associations �often
employees of one organisation), for personal
development, associated with a vocation, to
promote social cohesion, on a non-profit basis, or
in the public interest. Social tourism is usually
defined in terms of the objectives pursued, the
methods employed for achieving them and the
outcomes of participation.
The following criteria are identified as being
among the most fundamental underpinnings of this
concept and practice. First, social tourism recognises
the basic right of all, irrespective of their
social, financial or geographical situation, to have
leave from work and to have vacations. It reflects
concerns for the availability and accessibility of
vacations at reasonable, affordable prices. Second,
it acknowledges the importance of leisure and
holidays as exceptional occasions in the physical
and cultural development of individuals, promoting
their socialisation and their integration into their
community of workers as well as the broader
society. Third, it reflects the concern of its
proponents that social tourism should be an
instrument of economic development, a means of
managing and enhancing the national territory
and, at the same time, of preserving the natural
and human environments of destination regions.
Today, these objectives are often called lasting or
sustainable development.
In countries with a high standard of living, the
history of social tourism can be divided into three
periods: a period of emergence after the Second
World War, the two decades of very strong growth
in the 1960s and 1970s, and a period of contraction
of opportunities and participation, and of questioning,
re-evaluation and redefinition of objectives
and basic concepts. This led to the 1996 `Declaration
of Montreal' at the Congress of the Bureau
International du Tourisme Social, which constituted
a new `charter' for social tourism. It validated
the globalising of social tourism and the spread of
the movement from the European countries
�France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland
in particular) in which it had originally taken root,
to the Americas, particularly the industrial countries
of Canada and the United States and the
developing country of Mexico. It recognised the
great diversity of organisations and regulations for
social tourism, as well as different philosophies and
facilities which had arisen in very different
geographical and political contexts associated with
internationalisation of the phenomenon.
Social tourism policies are equally heterogeneous
with respect to the involvement of the state,
local community groups and employment associations.
They concern the priority given to the
various ways of assisting people to take holidays
�the financial support given to people for holidays
and, for example, support for wholesome vacations
or vacation vouchers as in Switzerland and
France). Further, they are also concerned with
the provision of basic infrastructure, especially
that of specialised lodgings, accommodation for
families and associations, holiday villages, campgrounds,
youth hostels and other types. In
countries most committed to this policy, this last
type of action has resulted in the establishment of
important lodging concentrations in destinations
managed by true `employment associations'. Thus
in France, which is the uncontested leader in the
field of social tourism, associations control more
than one-fifth of the accommodation capacity
which is not in private ownership, for a total of
about 900,000 beds �of which one-third are for
camping and caravans, 260,000 are beds in family
lodging and 240,000 are beds in youth hostels).
socialisation
GEORGES CAZES, FRANCE
Socialisation is the process of interaction through
which people learn social norms and rules of
behaviour in a given social group, complementing
enculturation, acculturation or transmission of a
society's cultural ideology and identities. Socialisation
is a primary factor shaping touristic interactions
of leisure, consumption and producer/