168 TOURISM LAW IN EUROPE There are many partnerships with professional organisations and this office deals with the regulated tourism professions: travel operators, tour guides and lecturers. Previously, this office was also in contact with the prefectures, but the 2009 reform reduced the role of the prefect in favour of that of Atout France. d) Office for tourist customers and the quality of reception The tourist clientele bureau studies the tourism sector from a market perspective and analyses the expectations of tourists. Its work on national policy on quality, standardisation and brand promotion is important. It implements the social policy for tourism and supervises the national holiday voucher agency. It coordinates standardisation activities and the promotion of brands, in particular the “quality tourism” plan, “tourism and disability” and the “destination for all” brand. It draws up and implements the national policy on hospitality and quality. This office made a major contribution to the creation and development of the tourism quality plan. Created in 2001, it identifies structures that guarantee a welcome and services adapted to the needs of disabled people. Its added value consists in encouraging the development of destinations where accessibility is planned and concerns both tourist sites and the entire environment of services that are inseparable from the territory. In particular, it has taken part in setting up the “social investment tourism” fund with the ANCV. Observations: In very general terms, the offices for tourist destinations, competitiveness, tourism professions and tourist customers negotiate with federations and professional organisations. These four offices are at the heart of the government’s tourism action in France and work closely with the office of the Secretary of State or Minister for Tourism and Atout France. However, they have lost some of the competencies previously exercised since the creation of Atout France. The benefits of integrating the sub-directorate for tourism into the DGE should be questioned. Indeed, most of the other departments of this Directorate have studies related to heavy industry, subjects that are far removed from the concerns of tourism businesses. On the other hand, some of the reforms monitored by the DGE’s offices (self-employed entrepreneurs, one-stop shop, study on monitoring and forecasting) have been of real benefit to the tourism sector and have made it more dynamic.
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