The concept of localised outdoor sports tourist systems: its application to Ardèche in south-east France

Tourism is important for many rural territories in France, notably with respect to economic development. A growing element of such tourist activity concerns outdoor sports which rely heavily on a region’s natural resources and are centred predominantly on a series of entrepreneurs and small businesses. Given the importance of tourism to local economies, a fuller understanding of the nature and operational characteristics of these enterprises, and of their relationship with other local actors, is essential to ensure their future development. With this objective, this paper aims to explore and evaluate the emergence of ‘localised tourist systems’ and the adaptation of this concept to outdoor sports. By using a systems approach, emphasis is given to analysing the interplay between different actors in the public, private and associative sectors and the mutual benefits that derive from such collaboration. Using evidence from the region of Ardèche in south-east France, it is argued that outdoor sports entrepreneurs form part of a ‘localised outdoor sports tourist system’ which provides added-value to the activities of these enterprises and to local institutional actors and the means to create a competitive advantage for the region’s tourist development. Future research might usefully explore in more detail the relative strength of linkages between the different actors.