The structure of the white water sports market in the French Alps

In this article, we aim to demonstrate how the natural resources of the Ubaye Valley have shaped the structure of the white water sports market. Work by associations, beginning with the boom in the pursuit of canoeing in the 1930s, dates back the longest in the valley. It reached its peak at the end...

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Main Author: Antoine Marsac
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut de Géographie Alpine 2013-03-01
Series:Revue de Géographie Alpine
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/rga/1930
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author Antoine Marsac
author_facet Antoine Marsac
author_sort Antoine Marsac
collection DOAJ
description In this article, we aim to demonstrate how the natural resources of the Ubaye Valley have shaped the structure of the white water sports market. Work by associations, beginning with the boom in the pursuit of canoeing in the 1930s, dates back the longest in the valley. It reached its peak at the end of the 1970s, marking the beginning of commercial interest. An analysis of the competitive relationships and strategies of the various stakeholders within the local context shows that the offering is based on a process of “touristification”, encouraging the emergence of competition between the companies. Since the 1980s, the expansion of these businesses in the Ubaye Valley, supported by guides, has largely contributed to the development of the first commercial white water rafting offerings in France. The market has segmented, and now consists of companies trading on the image of a protected valley to differentiate itself from competing destinations.
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publisher Institut de Géographie Alpine
record_format Article
series Revue de Géographie Alpine
spelling doaj-art-8d5806d430e845678804c3e800f289ea2025-01-10T15:56:02ZengInstitut de Géographie AlpineRevue de Géographie Alpine0035-11211760-74262013-03-01100310.4000/rga.1930The structure of the white water sports market in the French AlpsAntoine MarsacIn this article, we aim to demonstrate how the natural resources of the Ubaye Valley have shaped the structure of the white water sports market. Work by associations, beginning with the boom in the pursuit of canoeing in the 1930s, dates back the longest in the valley. It reached its peak at the end of the 1970s, marking the beginning of commercial interest. An analysis of the competitive relationships and strategies of the various stakeholders within the local context shows that the offering is based on a process of “touristification”, encouraging the emergence of competition between the companies. Since the 1980s, the expansion of these businesses in the Ubaye Valley, supported by guides, has largely contributed to the development of the first commercial white water rafting offerings in France. The market has segmented, and now consists of companies trading on the image of a protected valley to differentiate itself from competing destinations.https://journals.openedition.org/rga/1930
spellingShingle Antoine Marsac
The structure of the white water sports market in the French Alps
Revue de Géographie Alpine
title The structure of the white water sports market in the French Alps
title_full The structure of the white water sports market in the French Alps
title_fullStr The structure of the white water sports market in the French Alps
title_full_unstemmed The structure of the white water sports market in the French Alps
title_short The structure of the white water sports market in the French Alps
title_sort structure of the white water sports market in the french alps
url https://journals.openedition.org/rga/1930
work_keys_str_mv AT antoinemarsac thestructureofthewhitewatersportsmarketinthefrenchalps
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