This paper investigates the roles of horizontal and vertical networking in promoting integrated rural tourism (IRT) through a comparative study of the West Region ofIreland and the Auvergne region of France. New regional and local partnerships and territorial structures have been established in both countries during recent decades but control of tourism policy remains centralized to a greater or lesser extent, resulting in feelings of limited representation among smallerscale producers who are at the centre of the integrated tourism model studied in SPRITE (Supporting and Promoting Integrated Tourism in Europe's Lagging Rural Regions). Differences between the regions include greater executive power at regional and local scales in France, which is conducive to more extensive horizontal networking, and more successful vertical networking for promotion and marketing in Ireland. Lessons may be learned from both for the more effective promotion of IRT.
The present article reports the meeting of a research program on rural tourism with the need of knowledge expressed for a new policy in favour of agritourism, led by the Region Auvergne (France). The research program (Modintour, 2008(Modintour, -2011 dealt with models of tourism and studied the territorial integration of tourism. Integration of tourism develops complementarities with other local activities. Indeed agritourism is an activity which associates two distinctive sectors. The empirical study shows some importance of agritourism for the local offer, especially in the destinations of dispersed tourism. It highlights the diversity of the logics of the farmers and of their networks. It shows the relevance of support already available for the farmers through consular chamber and networks. But it shows also the stake of better cooperation between networks, the need to link the existing support system to the specialised tourism bodies, and the need for a renewed common strategy.Résumé: L'article expose le résultat d'une rencontre entre un programme de recherche sur le tourisme rural et le besoin de connaissances nécessaires à une nouvelle politique en faveur de l'agritourisme, conduite par la Région Auvergne (France). Le programme de recherche (Modintour, 2008-2011) traitait de modèles de tourisme et étudiait l'intégration territoriale du tourisme. Cette intégration développe les complémentarités du tourisme avec les autres activités locales. Et l'agritourisme est une activité qui associe bien deux secteurs distincts. L'étude empirique montre une certaine importance de l'agritourisme pour l'offre touristique locale, spécialement dans les destinations de tourisme diffus. Elle rend compte de la diversité des logiques des agriculteurs et de leurs réseaux. Elle montre la pertinence du soutien apporté aux agriculteurs par les chambres consulaires et les réseaux. Mais elle montre aussi l'enjeu d'une meilleure coopération entre les réseaux, le besoin de mieux connecter le système d'appui actuel aux autres organisations spécialisées en tourisme, et le besoin d'une stratégie renouvelée et commune.
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