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The Mediterranean islands have always attracted the attention of tourists due to their atractive space, benevolent climate, but also diverse nature. These elements of attractiveness are the basis for the development of tourism and related sports-recreation (especially related to outdoor / nature sports). The growing trend of interest in tourist demand for physically active holidays in the world is visible in Croatia, which is confirmed by a series of visitor attitudes surveys (TOMAS survey) (Institute for tourism, 2005, 2011, 2015, 2018, 2020). According to the latest survey from 2019 almost 50% of tourists in Croatia emphasize sports-recreation as a motive to visit Croatia (Institute for tourism, 2020). However, Strategy for the Development of Tourism in Croatia 2013-2020 pointed out that the potential for the development of sports tourism in Croatia was insufficiently used and that there was a lack of sports centres for year-round tourism (Ministry of tourism, 2013). For the purpose of this paper, two Croatian islands, Hvar and Krk and one archipelago, Brijuni, are chosen as case studies. From the beginning of modern tourism on these islands, also began development activities related with sports tourism. Especially interesting is the continuity of tourism development, on all three islands, which begins in second half of 19. Century to the present day. In the whole period (more than one century) we can analyse different aspects of sport tourism on mentioned island. primarily on the basis of promotional materials for sports tourism, but also the analysis of sports - recreational infrastructure and recent public document. These three islands / archipelagos, have many similarities, but also differences, which are primarily evident in their distance from the mainland, size, level of culture and nature protection primary form of tourism, history of sport tourism, sport tourism offer, quality of sport tourism infrastructure (before and now), sport tourism events and connection with sustainable development. Therefore, the research methodology is based on a qualitative approach and relies on the analysis and valorisation of historical data, the development of sports tourism, sports infrastructure, sport tourism events and recent public documents at the national, regional and local level connected with sport tourism. Whit the aim of recognizing lessons learned rom past and new opportunities. Finally we can conclude that despite the tradition and potential for the development of sports tourism on the islands, there is still a lack of clear views on the connection between the development of sports tourism and the local community, especially in relation to the local economy and sustainable development. It is interesting that even in the past, the connection between tourism and the community was emphasized more than it is today. Ultimately, modern trends in tourism, especially on islands, must consider all the components of potential impacts on sustainability, which is not the case so far. Sports tourism has the potential to have a positive impact on sustainability monitoring, especially because sporting events have recently become mandatory to implement environmental and community impact monitoring.

International audience

Cet article discute les apports et les limites d’un travail de Clivaz, Nahrath et Stock (2011), dont l’intention est de conceptualiser puis de caracteriser l’existence d’un champ touristique mondial (en reference au concept sociologique de Bourdieu, 1984b, 1992). Par suite, l’article formule des elements complementaires de mise en œuvre et de generalisation d’une approche en termes de champ pour etudier le tourisme. Selon nous, il convient notamment de ne pas reduire au singulier ce concept de champ touristique (d’autres champs ou sous-champs existent indissociablement) ; la pluralite des situations merite le pluriel conceptuel a plusieurs niveaux, y compris lorsque ces niveaux sont emboites les uns dans les autres.

Organised in the spring of 1993 on the border between France and Spain, the Pyrenees Adventure Games (les Jeux Pyreneens de l’Aventure or los Juegos Pirenaicos de la Aventura), brought together more than 1,000 athletes from 26 countries and were attended by 21,000 visitors. An alternative Olympics of adventure and outdoor sports patronised by the IOC, the events took place in the Aure Valley in France (Hautes-Pyrenees) and in the Sobrarbe in Spain (Huesca province). This article analyses the governance of this international sports competition. More specifically, this case study will enable us to find out more about the conditions of organisation of a cross-border project in the early 1990s. What were the various political, social and cultural exchanges between the valleys in terms of sports and tourism in the Pyrenees? The results show that the French organisation and the Spanish organisation functioned side by side instead of working together on the field. This division in working enabled them to bypass the language problem. The cross-border dimension of these adventure Olympics in 1993 stemmed from pressure from the French regional planning agency, DATAR right from the beginning of the project, i.e. in October 1989, to be exact. This dimension made the 1993 Pyrenees Adventure Games a testimony to the new political Europe that was being built after 1989. This period was marked by the proactiveness of institutions, which far exceeded the motivations of the populations of the Union.

La pratique du canyoning, représente une composante importantede l’activité sportive et du tourisme de montagne dans lesPyrénées, aussi bien en France qu’en Espagne. Après avoir étudié démographiquementles différentes modalités de la pratique du canyoningdans le sud de la France, il est apparu qu’un certain nombre d’individusse retrouvait pour descendre les canyons «le soir», notamment «après letravail». Il s’agit en particulier de fuir la fréquentation et les groupes detouristes avec leur moniteur. Par suite, une seconde étude réalisée dansle massif du Canigou, en Pyrénées françaises, révèle au sein de cesgroupes, l’émergence d’une pratique spécifique sous le nom de wildboaring.Le wild-boaring consiste à descendre des canyons encombrés,buissonnants et relativement peu intéressants selon les critères habituelsde l’activité canyoning.Cette transformation marque, selon nous, le passage d’une pratique àcontre-temps à une activité à contre-espace. Par cet aspect, se joue l’exacerbationd’une forme nouvelle de rejet du système économique marchandau sein des pratiques de nature et une forme particulière de relationsociale à l’espace. L’article discute également la possibilité d’uneélaboration géographique de contre-lieux par l’activité, mais cette hypothèsen’est pas validée.