CELSA / M2 CTC - 02/28/2012 Mélanie FOURRE et Sandrine MILCENT

INTRODUCTION

Calypso : Sea, Sex or …Song ?

Sea ?

Sex ?

Or Song ?

CALYPSO Programme

An european social tourism study to reduce minorities exclusion:

3 years programme (2009-2011 +)

An explorative approach

1 million € annual budget

21 participating countries

Contents :

Introduction

I - What is « Social Tourism » ? – Definitions

II - France, a good illustration of Social Tourism initiatives – History

– Main stakeholders : public & private

III - The french case in Calypso study – Objectives

– Targets

Conclusion: – France’s position in Calypso study

– Q&A session

What is social tourism?

Definitions:

1/ From the ‘beneficiaries’ point of view Hunzicker, 1951

« The relationships and phenomena in the field of tourism resulting from participation in travel by economically weak or otherwise disavantaged elements in society »

What is social tourism?

2/ From ‘reciprocity’ point of view,

a researchers’definition (2007, 2009) by Lynn Minnaert, Robert Maitland, Graham Miller (the « 3M’s »):

« Tourism with an added moral value on which the

primary aim is to benefit either the host or the visitor in the tourism exchange. »

What is social tourism?

3/ The European Commission synthezised these 2 definitions:

– A specific attention to the most underprivileged sectors of the population (cf Hunziger)

– The respect of the value of sustainability, accessibility and solidarity (cf the 3 M’s »)

+ Presence of stakeholders = public, private institution, company, trader union, association…

These 3 conditions have to be met together

Social tourism: the ‘French Touch’

Social policy belongs to the French DNA

• 1936: Front populaire established ‘Annual Paid Leave ‘

holidays became ‘a right for all’

• 1998 : Law against exclusions: ‘holiday for all’

• 2005 : Law ‘equality of rights and chances’ ( disabled people)

French tourism overview 1st destination in the world !

• 6.5% of GDP

• 2 M. jobs in tourism industry

• 80 M. foreign tourists / year

• 91% Europe

• Main tourism hotspots:

30% Paris-IDF Historic heritage + Disneyland

14% PACA French Riviera

8% Rhône Alpes Ski resorts

French Social Tourism

Public players

French State = main actor

– Ministry of Economy, Industry and Employment (ANCV)

– Ministry of Youth and Sports

– Ministry of National Education

– Ministry of Social Affairs and Family (CAF, VACAF)

French Social Tourism

Others Players

• Charitable associations

• Healthcare plans and pension funds

• Works-councils

• Trade-unions

UNAT = social tourism associations groupment

Specific social help in France

• Specific accomodation (‘Youth hostels’, camp sites…)

• Discounted prices by tourism & leisure sites

• Discount cards with the national railway company, SNCF

French ‘Holiday Vouchers’

• 1982

• 7.5 M. french travellers (2009)

• Worth 1.3 billion € (2009)

• Network of 160 000 tourism-related businesses

• New law (2009) : extension for companies < 50 employees

What is the CALYPSO Programme for ?

Calypso Programme objectives

• To generate economic activity and growth across Europe

• To reduce tourism seasonality

• To create more and better jobs in the tourism sector

Economic objectives > an exclusive ‘right’ perspective (‘Tourism for all’)

Calypso Programme objectives

At European level:

• To promote cooperation and partnerships

• To encourage local, regional and international development

• To strenghten European Citizenship

Calypso’s main actions

Focus on:

• best practices encouraging tourism activity in low season

• existing measures supporting exchanges of people belonging to the 4 target groups

• difficulties related to these exchanges

Calypso’s target groups

1. Young people (18-30 years),

2. Families with difficulties,

3. Seniors (over 65) and retired,

4. Disabled Adults

1 - Young people

• 6.5 M. in France

• 18-25 years = 10% French population (18-30 years = 20% European population)

• Wide range of situations diversity of social situations diversity of actions from ANCV, work councils, city twinnings

• The most open to travel abroad

• Focus on autonomy and a good value for money

• 59 % of the stays during peak-season

Holidays’ help for young people

Projects encouraging youth to go on holidays

• Organizations

– OFAJ (French-German office for youth), 320 young Germans and French in 2009

– European ‘twinning programmes’ between towns or regions

• Financial supports

– SNCF Work councils: free transportation + 200€

– « Parcours Vacances »: 180 € in holidays vouchers (ANCV)

– « Sac à dos » Programme

The « Sac à dos » Programme

• By Vacances Ouvertes (NGO) since 1994

• A kit to travel + 100 € + 30 € holiday vouchers

• 90% of the participants in 2008 wouldn’t have traveled without it

• 1st independant holidays: for over 50% of the beneficiaries

• In 2009 over 4200 young people

• Extension to the Europe

2– Families with difficulties

– 6,7 M. people accessing to family benefits

– 1,7 M. people = single parent

– 1 M. people R.M.I.

strong family constraints

very sensitive to price

2 – Families with difficulties Holidays’preference

Where ? Seaside destination (lake or swimming pool)

Accommodations ?

–Family and friends

–Hotels and Holidays resorts (‘VVF’ / specific Label ‘Loisirs de

France’)

–Camp Sites (for large families)

When ? Official holidays period (Peak season : July and August)

2 – Families with difficulties

Favourate Activities :

– 20 % Cultural

– 5% Bicycle

– 4 % recreational parks

– 20 % no particular activities

2 – Families with difficulties

French stakeholders :

– ‘Caisses d’allocations familiales’ (CAF) at local level

– ‘Vacances et familles’ : associations helping families

– ‘VACAF’ : main public support

– Work councils and Trade-unions (Holidays abroad )

3 - Seniors

• 13.2 million (over 60)

• 21.5% of French population

• Expected to represent +25% in 2025

= highest market potential target group

• Constraints: accessibility, financial (low pension), fear to leave home, health

Seniors

• on-season with family in a secondary residence or location

• off-season for little excursions or longer trips without families

• younger seniors: exploration to closest European destinations

• Preference: seaside

« Seniors en vacances » programme

• National programme initiated by UNAT in 2004 and developped by ANCV in 2007

• Services adapted to their specific needs :

– Comfort of facilites

– Health centre nearby

– Leader for activites and excursions

– Diet menus

« Seniors en vacances »

programme • 3 aims

– To bring wellness to low income and isolated seniors over 60

– To create a social link

– To develop tourism economy strenghtening the low season

• 2 actions – Access to discounted holidays

– An extra financial support

« Seniors en vacances » programme

• Interest for the EU

– Promoting the tourism in the low season

• To improve

– To have local representation to inform about the programme

– To create partnerships with structures in contact with the target

4 - Disabled adults

( no reliable statistics)

• 1,8 M. people between 15 and 64

• 5,7 M. people living with health or disability pbs :

– 1,7 M. vision impaired

– 5 M. hearing impaired

– 850 000 physical handicap

– 1 M. mental handicap

4 - Disabled adults :

Public helps:

No specific funding concerning holidays

only

National label ‘Tourism and Handicap’ (1997)

+ Label ‘Handi-Vacances’ (announced)

Commercial partner:

‘APF Evasion’

4 – Disabled Adults

– 1 or 2 weeks (50 % > 2 weeks)

– 2/3 of stay = in France

– 1st destination = Seaside

– Traditional holiday periods, especially summer

– Lower participation :

Financial constraints (need of an accompanying person)

Lack of autonomy

Pbs of accessibility

Pbs of adaptation of traditional tourism products and activities

CONCLUSION

France: Calypso’s good student?

Strenghts to highlight:

– Multitude of successful social initiatives

strong tradition of supporting families & seniors

– Different kinds of destinations and attractions

– Tradition of welcoming foreign people

– Good level of services

– Labels visibility for international customers

France: Calypso’s good student?

Weaknesses to improve:

– Insufficient disabled adults holidays funding

– Reduced experience in bilateral exchanges

– Lack of identification (web portal) and organization of the stakeholders

– Stigmatization of beneficiaries’ ‘social’ image

– Obsolescence of the structures comfort

France: Aims for the future

• Optimization of existing holiday funding mechanisms

• Solutions for refurbishment of accommodation facilities and modernization of management

• Creation of an Information Center on social tourism + visibility, + efficient

Hervé Novelli, oct 2009

What could be upscaled to Europe?

• Holiday vouchers (already France, Hungary, Italy and Romania): ‘Pan-European voucher system’

• French ‘Sac à dos programme’: already upscaled, lessons learnt for next step?

• Labels: credibility and visibility to be improved?

What should be improved in Europe ?

• Development of off-season tourism

Support to transnational European tourism

• Adjusting supply to the 4 target groups from ‘specialised’ to ‘mainstream’

Willing to go on holiday as everyone

Combination of social & economic ’win wins’

Calypso: over ambitious programme?

• Various perceptions of holidays as a ‘right’ or a ‘desert’ • Lack of homogeneous european criteria in target groups (low

income, age, degree of disability…)

Unability to develop a global/top-down european social tourism policy

Calypso: ambitious yet realistic

Development of synergies between EU countries Set up a web-based Calypso platform to meet supply and

demand

Long live Calypso!

Thanks for listening !