FRANCE | LAURENCE JÉGOUZO 159 In terms of legal vocabulary, the change from a directorate to a sub-directorate is significant. 1.1.1. CREATION OF ATOUT FRANCE History: In 2005, at the national level, the AFIT (Agence française d’ingénierie touristique), the ONT (observatoire national du tourisme) and the SEATM (service d’études et d’aménagement touristiques de la montagne) were brought together in a single public interest grouping called ODIT France, which specialised in tourism engineering and worked to structure the tourism offer with local authorities and private operators. At the same time, the economic interest grouping (EIG) Maison de la France was created to promote French tourism on foreign markets. The Ministry of Tourism entrusted it with the development, financing, implementation and monitoring of information and promotional activities relating to the image, products and tourism engineering of metropolitan and overseas France on foreign markets. The Law of 22 July 2009 on the development and modernisation of tourism services merged ODIT France and Maison de la France to create a tourism development agency, with Atout France becoming the State’s operator in the tourism sector. This is one of the key measures of this project, the idea of which came from the former Secretary of State for Tourism, Hervé Novelli, and was based on the desire to apply a better-coordinated and more effective public policy combining engineering of the tourism offer and promotion of France abroad. Joining the tool of promotion and therefore of knowledge of the clientele to the one that develops the engineering of the offer seemed to be able to enable France to regain world leadership in the tourism sector. With this merger, Atout France has brought together the State and local authorities, as well as professionals from the tourism industry and the major sectors of the French economy, in a partnership approach. In total, more than 1,300 members rely on its expertise. Atout France has many missions, which were reiterated and expanded at the inter-ministerial council for tourism in January 2018: the Agency was thus designated as the single entry point for all territories wishing to invest in new projects. It will now support them in the implementation of around ten structuring projects per year with the support of the Caisse des Dépôts and the future Agence nationale des territoires. In addition to this assistance, Atout France publishes around ten studies each year for professionals. These are intended to increase their knowledge of markets and sectors and to refine their development strategies.
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