Tandem – Tourism transition in mountain regions

The Tandem project is taking place against a backdrop of great uncertainty about the future of mountain resorts and the areas in which they are based. The economic, environmental, societal and governance challenges they face are diverse in nature. The project aims to address them in as integrative and territorial a way as possible.

Often presented as archetypes of mass tourism, winter sports resorts are markers of the transition underway. However, behind this (apparent) need for foresight on the future of the snow industry for the activities and territories concerned, controversy exists. Tensions are emerging between the need for territorial, forward-looking and shared reflection, and the possible retreat of key players in the industry to the historical tourism development model. It is therefore crucial to work with resorts and tourist areas to build their future.

Tandem’s approach is based on two study areas (Communauté de Communes du Grésivaudan and Gresse-en-Vercors) and three winter sports resorts (Le Collet d’Allevard, Les 7 Laux and Gresse-en-Vercors). In the medium term, the challenge will be to develop thinking on broader spatial and temporal scales, with a particular focus on the future of European resorts.

• Identify local issues in terms of tourism development in resorts and regions, with a view to a dual transition for tourism and the region.
• Drawing up a diagnosis of resorts and their anchor areas
• Identification of issues and themes specific to the study areas
• Defining a framework for analyzing tourism and territorial transition
• Calibration of a medium/long-term research program to monitor ongoing transition processes and support local players.