About the GIS

The objective of the Tourism Studies GIS is to structure, deepen and promote academic research on the subject of Tourism.

Why the GIS ?

TOURISM is a major pillar of the national economy, accounting for 8% of GDP, almost 10% of commercial employment and 5% of total employment. France has a strong appeal among international visitors, with 90 million international tourist arrivals, making it theworld’s leading destination. This position is to be seen in the broader context of the sustained growth of the tourism industry globally.

RESEARCH IN TOURISM: the development of research in Tourism is a real challenge for the industry as research in France is fragmented and diffused. Therefore, streamlining research in Tourism is seen as a fundamental driver for grasping the complexity of the transformations taking place in the industry and for contributing to a finer understanding of the phenomenon. Hence, structuring it, by bringing together institutions and laboratories along with businesses and destinations, will boost academic production and enhance its visibility at the international level.

The Tourism Studies GIS, Groupement d'intérêt scientifique, Tourism Studies, tourism

San Cristóbal de Las Casas [Chiapas], Mexico

Objectives

  • Pool and streamline academic resources around the subject of Tourism
    Action 1 : Create and coordinate the network of institutions and laboratories and the scientific community working on the subject on Tourism (knowledge of one another, working meetings, life of the network, institutional relations, etc.)
  • Stimulate academic production on Tourism through collaborative and multi-disciplinary research programmes
    Action 2 : Encourage and support the emergence of research projects initiated by researchers who are members of the GIS, particularly during the early phases prior to the response to calls for national and international projects (H2020, international ANR, etc.) through financial support to the development of relevant pre-projects (involvement before that of the Europe units and the international units of COMUE – French Groups of universities and institutions)
  • Give greater international visibility to the work of GIS researchers on Tourism
    Action 3 : Create a scientific blog and support publications in English in prominent journals, the organisation of international events, etc.
  • Contribute to the reflection, decision and foresight of socio-economic players (businesses, organisations and territories) through the contribution of research work in Tourism
    Action 4 : Organise meetings, conferences, debates, etc. intended for socio-economic players
    Action 5 : Raise awareness of the territories about the merits of implementing an inter-regional and multi-disciplinary action-research programme to enhance knowledge, better understand tourism practices, and constantly throw light on the drivers to bolster the attractiveness of the territory for tourists
  • Increase the international outreach of French research on Tourism
    Action 6 : Create and coordinate a network of international socio-economic and academic partners concerned by the issues of the GIS, in particular for responses to calls for international projects.

To download the 2019 press kit: : click here