CONTINUING EFFORTS IN TOURISM R & D Annals" lntra and lnter-Disczplinary Communica t ion D e p a r t m e n t on Research and Developmer~

ANNALS OF TOURISM RESEARCH Volume IV, Number 5, May/September 1977

CENTRE DES HAUTES ETUDES TOURISTIQUES *

Universlte de Drott, d'Eoonomle et des Sclenc~ d'Aix-Marsellle Aix-en-Provlnce, France

The Industrial and Post-Industrial Civilization gave birth to an irrevocable pheno- menon which was characterized principally by a reduction of the "work-day", of the "work-week", of the "work-year", of the "work-life-time". Man pushed open the door to "leisure", end-of-day leisure, weekend leisure, year 's end leisure . . . retirement leisure. The door was opened, but its threshold, the access to leisure activity, remained to be cleared. Political, economic, social, technological, and ecological factors imposed numerous specific constraints upon tourism demand. Moreover, current demand--concentrated in time and space---involving nearly 1/4 of humanity (1/2 in the year 2000, according to the most realistic forecasts) presents serious problems for administrators of tourism policies in the developing domains of time and leisure space.

The global conquest of touristic resources and activities, relayed by a revolution in modern transportation and the burgeoning travel industry, frequently pits emitting markets (industrialized countries) against recipient markets (developing nations).

Aware of today's problem-ridden leisure policies--which, are bound to increase disproportionally to employment solutions in coming decades (on an average, man's life span is 640,000 hours; his work span, 64,0001) the Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques (C.H.E.T.) under its first name of Centre d'Etudes du Tourisme since its creation in 1961, has soughtmand developed--a worldwide, pluridisciplinary ap- proach to the twin phenomena of tourism and outdoor leisure act/v/ties.

"This article has been prepared by Centre des Hautes Touristiques for publication in Annals of Tourism Re~mr¢~.

2 8 8 ANNALS OF TOURISM RESEARCH,May/Sept '7

CENTRE DES HAUTES ETUDES TOURISTIOUES

To insure the high scientific quality of its program, the Aix institution began by "bu i ld ing" a library which has become, in the opinion of professionals in the field, one of the world 's wealthiest collections. Fed by over 40,000 correspondents, scattered in all corners of the globe, the library (14,500 documents as of March, 1977) became the groundwork of concentrated scientific research which "mater ia l ized" in the following forms:

- - t h e production of Bibliographie Touristique which has, to date, cata- logued nearly 17,000 references

~ t h e publicatiop (since 1969) of the Review Documentation Touristique, which offers, quarterly, 160 abstracts of French and Foreign studies

ra the diffusion (since 1973) of the Touristic Analysis Review, English translation of the above mentioned review

- - t h e execution of Operation "CELTIC" (code name given to the compu- terized analysis of touristic documents) which will function early in 1978 and offer any interested party a thorough listing of references to works responding to a specific question

Buttressed by this immense documentary foundation, constantly updated and immediately functional, the Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques was asked to realize multifarious fundamental and applied research projects for such international, national and regional organizations as the United Nations, the O.E.C.D., the Bureau International du Travail, the European Economic Community, the Organization of American States, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the UNESCO. A hallmark of quality and distinction was soon acquired in the international

touristic milieu.

Aware of officials' and professionals ' preoccupations around the world, the Centre was able to create, in 1968, a curriculum of study sanctioned by a specialized doctoral program whose excellent reputation soon lept from continent to continent.

Holder of such a wealth of information, the Centre was eager, from the beginning, to place the fruits of its personal investigations, and those of experts around the world, within reach of all persons concerned by the tourist ic/outdoor lmsure phenomena. This goal was achieved in the form of a literary "qu in te t " compiling the following

publications: - - T h e Cahiers du Tourisme raThe Etudes et Memoires series - - T h e review Documentation Touristique - - T h e review Touristic Analysis Review - - T h e Essais

The entire collection, today boasts over 150 titles.

ANNALS OF TOURISM RESEARCH,May/Sept '77 289

CENTRE DES HAUTES ETUDES TOURISTIQUES

Open without restriction to the outside world, the Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques proposes its scientific benefits to foreign exchange students possessing scholarships from the United Nations, O.E.C.D., the A.S.T.E.F., the A.C,T.I.M., the C.I.E.S., the E.E.C., the O.A.S., etc. As of today, the Centre has welcomed over 30 countries to follow the specialized program for a limited time.

A university institution in permanent contact with administrative, professional, and Academic milieus of all continents, especially North America (The Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques is also a member of the National Recreation and Park Association and of the Travel Research Association; it maintains close ties with American universities specializing in outdoor leisure activities) the Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques currently makes its investigations in the following fields:

--Tourism, Employment, Tertiary Sector --Tourism and Cost Benefit Analysis --Planning, Programming, Budgeting System, and the Rationalization of

Budgetary Choices in Favor of Tourism --Tourism and Urban Agglomerations --Urban and Peri-Urban Touristic Development --Tourism, Equipment and Animation for the Lower Classes --Business and Convention Tourism --Tourism: Import and Export --Vertical and Horizontal Concentration --Tourism and Marketing --Health and Tourism --Measurement of Tourist Flows

--Economic Analysis of the Leisure Demand --Forecasting Leisure Demands: Econometric Techniques --Tourism and Transportation --Development of artificial Water Recreation Sites --Vacation Distribution --Touristic Planning and Development --Touristic Investment Codes --Touristic Real Estate --National and Regional Parks --Hotel Chains --Tourism and the Senior Citizen --New Restaurant Management --The Uniform System of Accounts in Hotel and Restaurant Management

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ANNALS OF TOURISM RESEARCH,May/Sept '77