186 TOURISM LAW IN EUROPE as the number of tourist offices is increasing. They are among the many local public establishments managing a local or national public service activity such as public housing offices49, hospitals, a communal social action centre (fr. CCAS), etc. The semi-public company: The semi-public company is a limited company which combines public and private capital. Unlike public industrial and commercial establishments, semi-public companies are not subject to the constraints to which legal persons under public law are subject. A form adapted to large structures: The semi-public companies, which are very present in large cities that manage a convention centre, encourage the real involvement of local authorities in a local tourism development project, while allowing the direct involvement of private partners. Indeed, the participation of local authorities of between 51% and 85% ensures that the interests of local authorities are carefully monitored by the elected representatives on the board of directors. The board will include both representatives of the public authorities and representatives of the socio-professional sector, who will contribute their know-how and help to ensure good governance of the company. A semi-public company in charge of a tourist office can also simultaneously manage other complementary tourist activities such as conference centres, ski lifts or marinas. This organisation favours synergies and thus makes it possible to structure the local tourist offer and to coordinate the tourism players. However, this legal status is still very rarely used because of the need to generate sufficient revenue to ensure a viable operating balance. As with the association status, the semi-public company (fr. SEM) status presents the risk of de facto management or illegal interest taking due to the absence of public accounting. However, it is used by large structures that manage events and conferences, such as the city of Cannes and its Palais des Festivals. The semi-public company is therefore particularly suitable for these activities because private partners are essential at the time of the constitution of the capital, which this legal structure allows. 2.3. Missions of Tourist Offices and Tourist Information Centers Missions of the tourist offices: Tourist offices have two types of missions: compulsory missions and optional missions. They are present in 10% of French municipalities that wish to develop an active tourism policy. 49 JEGOUZO L., Établissement public local et logement social, LGDJ, coll. “Thèses”, 2002, t. 225.
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