How the Touring Club de France Influenced the Development of Winter Tourism
Résumé
The link between sport and tourism is closely related in outdoor sports and it is worth considering the development of these physical activities in conjunction with the tourist infrastructures that facilitate access to the activity areas. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the major role played by the Touring Club de France (TCF) in the launching of winter sports in France through its promotion of tourist infrastructures and support of the related activities. The TCF played an innovating and most efficient part through its action on three essential aspects: equipping sites for tourists; developing the manufacture of winter sports equipment; and promoting winter sports, thus bringing new life to mountain resorts. In taking into account the crucial role of the TCF in this study, the main sources used are related to the club itself: its archives and the monthly review from 1908 to 1914. On a larger scale, an explanation on how the TCF acted as a lever to generate dynamics beneficial to local development of the mountain areas will also be provided.