Abstract
Debates around “sustainability” focus the development on the local level. Citizen participation becomes therefore part of territorial development projects as a tool that at the same time brings closer inhabitants and projects decision-makers and allows the first ones to reappropriate their territory. Publications about participation so far worry about its definition and the necessary means. Some talk about more precised contexts and give us real concrete ideas. Nevertheless, research about participation and dialogue analyzes either cases of natural resources management (e.g. water or forests management) or city planning. There is however a less studied activity which touches all the characteristics of a territory: tourism. Few texts (mainly about solidarity or responsible tourism) are dedicated to the analysis of the importance of participatory development in the sector. We propose a general study of this kind of development in tourism in order to understand complex relations between population, decision-makers, other actors, projects, territory and tourists. Even if we get inspired by cases of participatory development in other fields, there will always be a large margin of difference between them and tourism. That is why we believe that more specific analyses of participatory development in tourism must be drawn in parallel. These analyses try firstly to understand in which ways this kind of development is important to a sustainable evolution of tourism. In this way, later on the study it is possible to determine the pertinent levels of participation and how to employ them. This work has an explorative character and seeks to develop a theoretical understanding of citizen participation role(s) in touristic decision-making and projects. Even though the study should be considered as explorative rather than comparative, our ambition is to make some comparative notes by the end of it. The initial research problem motivating this study concerns the need of involvement of inhabitants in local touristic politics and projects. Hence, one overall research question has been defined: Can people’s participation represent a factor of sustainability to the development of a tourism fitting well in a territory? From that reflection, other questions are made: What is the reality of citizen participation in touristic decision-making? Are people’s opinions taken into consideration by the responsible authorities? How can this involvement influence at the same time the tourism on a territory (images, promotion, welcome, flows, etc.) and the everyday life of inhabitants (quality, feelings, amenities, relations, etc.)?