Sino-european tourism conference

Twelfth edition

Saumur (France) July 8-10, 2025

 Heritage villages and tourism: local issues, global experiences 

Download the call for proposals

Presentation

During the 1960s, the notion of village was the subject of numerous descriptive works in regional geography, studying the settlement patterns and sites of small human communities in rural areas (Paul Vidal de la Blache, Roger Dion, André Meynier, etc.). In the 2000s, Françoise Plet noted the rarefaction of the word in contemporary scientific production, without being able to explain whether this was “an effect of the word's ageing or whether authors are invalidating the notion”, and wondered: “Has the time of villages passed?” (Plet, in Lévy and Lussault, 2003, p. 988). However, the scientific community has put forward several explanations for the changing meaning of the word “village”, not least because of the complex relationship between towns and rural areas. The observations made in France at the end of the last century of a decline in agriculture, a rural exodus and an ageing rural population (Béteille, 1981; 1994) have more recently been put into perspective by analyses of the arrival of new residents who settle in villages and renovate their buildings and monuments (Delfosse, 2003, Helle, 2004). Some researchers even see an urbanization of the rural environment associated with sprawl logics, a phenomenon that leads to divergent apprehensions of place according to modes of habitation, whether permanent or temporary (Dibie, 2006; Le Goff, 2012), or even to the creation of “new villages” (Callen 2014). In fact, the existence of a village, localized and localizing by a name and a morphogenesis, raises questions about the way it is viewed by those involved. The tourist gaze, moreover, is particularly rich in lessons, insofar as it is collectively constructed and informs perceptions of tourist areas (Urry, 1990). The villages can be distinguished according to a gradation of the local tourism phenomenon. Some villages are sparsely frequented by tourists - just passing through and with the opportunity to find accommodation and restaurants - while others are the main reason for a trip, and stand out for the omnipresence of tourism, or even a state of monofunctional dependence. These situations are the result not only of spatial practices, but also of local policy choices (Shen, 2014). The tourist reputation of certain villages has been established through the enhancement of an ancient architectural heritage, with few contemporary buildings (MIT Team, 2002). The picturesque character of both the landscape and the silhouette of the village through its architectures, makes certain villages high points in tourist regions (Piriou, 2018). Heritage, the result of a social and cultural construction that is inscribed in time and space (Di Méo, 1995; Veschambre, 2005), contributes to the tourism system. Also, the tourism, as a global phenomenon, takes part in a movement of heritagization, insofar as the presence of tourists, ensures a recognition and a sharing of places considered as heritage (Violier and Lazzarotti, 2007; Coëffé and Morice, 2017). For local actors, the challenge is to protect and then enhance heritage for the purposes of regional development to maintain or even welcoming new inhabitants, as well as to attract visitors (Chevallier, 2003, Gravari-Barbas, 2005). To enhance their heritage and value enhancement efforts, some municipalities are embarking on qualification initiatives and joining village networks around a brand or label (Tanchoux and Priet, 2020). In a societal context that calls for practices to be reinvented for a sustainable territorial development (Knafou, 2023), heritage villages are at the crossroads of several issues, both in terms of the actions of inhabitants and the participation of visitors and tourists.

Several themes can be developed:

 - The heritage aspect of old town centres raises questions about how villages adapt to local society. The quality of life of current and future residents is a leitmotif for local players. The transformation of buildings, monuments and the development of natural areas call for thoughtful consideration of tourism issues. How can local projects for inhabitants reflect a desire to welcome visitors? How can the heritage offer meet the expectations of visitors and tourists discovering the villages?

 - Village heritage is not just about buildings and monuments. Approaches to enhancing the heritage offering of villages include natural, environmental and intangible dimensions. How do villages use these heritage dimensions in their tourism development strategies? Is the built environment always at the heart of the offer?

 - The degree of intensity of tourist flows creates disparities between some places that are sparsely visited and others that receive more tourists per year than they have inhabitants (Gay, 2024). For example, when a village with few inhabitants receives several thousand visitors each year, it must adapt its co-presence within its heritage protected area. How do villages organize this co-presence? Should systems be set up to regulate visitor numbers within the heritage protected area?

 - Heritage enhancement is part of several regulatory measures (in France: “Sites Patrimoniaux Remarques”, “Plans Locaux d'Urbanisme”, etc.) and financial aid schemes, which require a consensus around the heritage object between public players and the local population. Does the involvement of inhabitants in heritage enhancement contribute to a tourism development project? Who are the competent authorities? How do inhabitants perceive these projects? Is the relationship between heritage enhancement and tourism development self-evident? What are the limits?

Any other proposal related to the theme of the conference will be considered by the Scientific Committee. The international dimension of contributions is particularly welcome, to establish a dialogue between presenters on local projects and the convergences/divergences of certain facts on a global scale.

Context and organization

The conference is organized by ESTHUA, the National Institute of Tourism - INNTO of the University of Angers, and ICUNA, the Joint Institute of the Universities of Ningbo and Angers, and will be take place in France at the Saumur campus from July 8 to 10, 2025. This event will follow on from the national meetings of the French association of Petites Cités de Caractère^®, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in Anjou from July 6 to 8, 2025. On this occasion, a discovery of villages will be proposed.

 Supporters of the conference

 Tourist Studies Scientific Study Group

Tourism Geography Committee of the Chinese Geography Society

Tribune du Tourisme

Publication

Following the conference, a selection of texts will be submitted by authors for publication in a collective work (forcoming).

Scientific Committee

Co-présidents

Jean-René Morice (géographie, Université d’Angers)

Shiwei Shen (géographie, Université de Ningbo)

 Members of the Scientific Commitee

Nicolas Bernard (géographie, Université de Bretagne Occidentale)

Elide Di Clemente (marketing, Université d’Estrémadure)

Nathalie Fabry (économie, Université Gustave Eiffel)

Jean-Christophe Gay (géographie, Université Côte d’Azur)

James Hanrahan (management du tourisme, Atlantic Technological University)

Sébastien Jacquot (géographie, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

 Véronique Mondou (géographie, Université d’Angers)

Jean-René Morice (géographie, Université d’Angers)

 Sylvine Pickel-Chevalier (géographie, Université d’Angers)

Jérôme Piriou (géographie, Université d’Angers)

Kai Bai (géographie, Université normale du Shaanxi)

Honggang Xu (géographie, Université Sun Yat Sen)

Shiwei Shen (géographie, Université de Ningbo)

Shuhong Zhao (gestion, Université du Yunnan)

Organization Committee

Lucie Biteau (Université d’Angers)

Bérengère Clément (Université d’Angers)

Lydie Jouis (Université d’Angers)

Guillaume Leblondel (Université d’Angers)

Véronique Mondou (Université d’Angers)

Jean-René Morice (Université d’Angers)

Jérôme Piriou (Université d’Angers)

Thérèse Rouleau-Racco (Université d’Angers)

Honglei Zhang (Université de Nanjing)

Huizi Xie (Université de Ningbo)

Shiwei Shen (Université de Ningbo)

Xueji Wang (Université de Ningbo)

Yi Liu (Université Sun Yat Sen)

Proposals

Proposals for papers are invited in one of the areas or at the crossroads of several issues. Proposals must include :

- a title (in English or Chinese/English or French/English);

- an abstract (200 to 300 words) and a list of key words (in Chinese/English and French/English).

- A main body of text based on the following criteria: a one-page (1000-2000 words) presentation of the research object, methodological benchmarks, theoretical framework, main results and bibliographical information. It should also include the authors' contact details and the identity of the correspondent (in the event of several authors).

Proposals for papers must be submitted by March 1, 2025 (2025 (deadline extended to March 15, 2025) on the conference web page: https://cset2025.sciencesconf.org

Papers may be presented in French or English, but also in Chinese. Translation will be provided during the sessions. Oral presentations during the symposium will last 15 minutes, including exchanges and discussions.

Contact

University of Angers, ESTHUA National Institute of Tourism- INNTO France

Jérôme Piriou, e-mail : jerome.piriou@univ-angers.fr

 Bibliography

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Béteille Roger, La France vide, Librairies Techniques, 1981, 252 pages.

Callen Delphine, « Des « nouveaux villages » aux « maisons en village »… Formes et localisation des ensembles pavillonnaires franciliens », L’espace géographique, 2014, 2014/2, tome 43, 115-133.

Chevallier Denis, « Le patrimoine rural, outil politique ou enjeu de société ? », Modern & Contemporary France, 2003, vol. 11, issue 3, 279-292.

Coëffé Vincent et Jean-René Morice, « Patrimoine sans limite ? La mondialisation du tourisme comme opérateur d’un « tout-patrimoine »», L’Information géographique, 2023, 2023/2, vol. 87, 32-54

Delfosse Claire, Géographie rurale, culture et patrimoine, HDR, Université de Lille, 2003.

Dibie Pascal, Le village métamorphosé. Révolution dans la France profonde, Terre Humaine, Plon, 2006, 414 pages.

Di Méo Guy, « Patrimoine et territoire, une parenté conceptuelle », Espaces et Sociétés, 1995, n°78, 16-33.

Équipe MIT, Tourisme 1. Lieux communs, Belin, 2002, 319 pages.

Gravari-Barbas Maria (dir.), Habiter le patrimoine : enjeux, approches, vécu, coll. « Géographie sociale », Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2005, 618 pahes

Helle Cécile, « Le Lubéron : la fin d’un territoire d’exception ? », M@ppemonde, 2004, 2004.1, n°73, URL : http://mappemonde.mgm.fr/num1/articles/art04101.html

Knafou Rémy, Réinventer (vraiment) le tourisme. En finir avec les hypocrisies du tourisme durable, Les nouveaux possibles, éditions du Faubourg 2023, 125 pages.

Le Goff Jean-Pierre, La fin du village : une histoire française, Gallimard, 2012, 577 pages.

Plet Françoise, « Article « Village », dans Jacques Lévy et Michel Lussault (dir.), Dictionnaire de la géographie et de l’espace des sociétés, Belin, 2003, 987-988.

Piriou Jérôme, La région touristique. Une co-construction des acteurs du tourisme, ISTE, 2018, 248 pages.

Shen Shiwei, Les vieux villages chinois : évolution, patrimonialisation et mise en tourisme, Thèse de doctorat, Université d’Angers, 2014.

Philippe Tanchoux et François Priet (dir.), Les labels dans le domaine du patrimoine culturel et naturel, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2020, 537 pages.

John Urry, The tourist gaze: leisure and travel in contemporary societies, Sage, 1990, 176 pages.

Vincent Veschambre, « Le recyclage urbain, entre démolition et patrimonialisation : enjeux d’appropriation symbolique de l’espace. Réflexions à partir de quatre villes de l’Ouest », Norois, 2005, 2005/2, n°195, 6.

Violier Philippe et Olivier Lazzarotti, Tourisme et patrimoine. Un moment du monde, Presses de l’Université d’Angers, 2007, 246 pages.

 Last update: 22.01.2025 - 9:30 AM