VVF Villages

VVF Villages (formerly Villages Vacances Familles, or VVF) is a French parapublic tourism association that pioneered a concept of family tourism in France built around hotel-style and rental residences in holiday villages, combined with territory-linked entertainment and children's club services. It is a mission-driven association recognised as being of public utility, and it traces its origins to the social-tourism movement of the late 1950s. The organisation emerged from the split of VVF into two entities in 2006: VVF Villages, the public-utility association, and Belambra, a commercial SAS wholly owned by the investment fund Groupe Caravelle. VVF Villages carries the same missions as the historic VVF association: the economic development of territories and access to holidays and leisure for the greatest number of people. Its facilities are public property or owned by works councils (comités sociaux d'entreprise), and its governance is disinterested, made up of the local authorities that own the sites, beneficiary sports federations, structures promoting holiday access, and qualified figures committed to the public interest of VVF's historic mission. In 2019, the association — described as a major player in social tourism in France — counted 94 sites across 60 départements, welcomed 450,000 customers and recorded 2.5 million overnight stays. It ranks as the fifth operator in the sector, behind Club Med, Pierre et Vacances, Center Parcs, Appart City and Belambra. VVF's model combines affordable family holiday accommodation with local economic development, particularly in rural and mountain areas, and with seaside destinations. Its history is closely tied to the extension of paid holidays in France and to cooperation with host municipalities and regions.

The concept of the holiday village had been popularised by the Club des Villages magiques association, founded in 1950, which merged in 1956 with Club Méditerranée. In 1956, the government of Guy Mollet extended the third week of paid holidays to all employees, helping to relaunch mass tourism in France. André Guignand and Maurice Cayron, activists in the Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne (JOC), and Simone Troisgros of the Fédération française du tourisme populaire (arising from the Organisation centrale des camps et activités de jeunesse, OCCAJ), then launched the idea of family holiday villages. The project was finalised in 1958, and VVF emerged from Christian trade unionism. In July 1956, at the Semaine sociale de Marseille, the secretary-general of the Fédération française du Tourisme populaire (FFTP), André Guignand, presented a compatibility between popular tourism — later social tourism — and regional planning policy: on one hand, employees who wanted to take advantage of longer holidays but could not, for lack of accommodation accessible to modest incomes; on the other, certain rural regions that were underdeveloped but not devoid of tourist interest and were trying by all means to find economic expansion. In July 1958, the constitutive general assembly of the Villages Vacances Familles association confirmed the founding members: André Guignand, secretary-general of the Fédération française de Tourisme populaire; Louis Tissot, administrative director of the Société centrale immobilière de la Caisse des Dépôts; the Société centrale immobilière de la Caisse des Dépôts (SCIC); the Société centrale pour l'équipement touristique (SCETO), a subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts and the Caisse centrale du crédit hôtelier; the Fédération française du tourisme populaire (FFTP); and the Organisation centrale des centres et d'activités de jeunesse (OCCAJ). Three pillars marked the launch and development of VVF: the construction of modern holiday villages and collective services adapted primarily for family use, especially modest families; participation in regional planning, notably in rural areas, through the convergence of public, semi-public and private funds; and close collaboration with municipalities, host regions and the association's partners. Jacques Barrot, a member of the Conseil constitutionnel, said of this: "the brilliant idea of André was to offer holidays to families while helping rural areas take off, it was a bit the anti-Club Med!" In July 1959, the loi 1901 approval was granted, and the Villages Vacances Familles (VVF) association was thus created. Louis Tissot was elected first president of the association and appointed André Guignand as director-general. That summer, two new holiday villages opened in Alsace at Obernai and Albé. In 1960, the Caisse centrale d'allocations familiales of the Paris region was co-opted as a founding member, and the board of directors welcomed new members: the Caisse nationale de Sécurité sociale and the Union nationale des caisses d'allocation familiales. From the 1960s to the 1990s, through its director-general André Guignand, VVF participated in the creation of the Bureau international du tourisme social (BITS) in 1963, which became the Organisation internationale du tourisme social (ISTO). Between 1959 and 1989, 135 holiday villages were created in 112 municipalities across 52 départements, making VVF the leading social and family tourism operator in France by 1980. The plans of these villages were notably by renowned architects in the field of social housing, including André Gomis. They were built first in rural territory, then increasingly often in the mountains and by the sea. Cooperation between VVF and the 112 local and territorial authorities hosting VVF holiday villages intensified in 1980 with the creation of ANCOL, the Association nationale des collectivités locales pour les Villages Vacances Famille, administered by elected mayors. Since its creation, ANCOL, which sits on the VVF board of directors, has aimed to support social and family tourism integrated into local life, making this cooperation a true... In 2006, VVF split into two entities: VVF Villages, an association recognised as being of public utility, and Belambra, a commercial SAS wholly owned by the investment fund Groupe Caravelle. VVF Villages carries the same missions as the historic VVF association: economic development of territories and accessibility of holidays and leisure to the greatest number. In 2019, the association counted 94 sites across 60 départements, welcomed 450,000 customers and recorded 2.5 million overnight stays, ranking fifth in the sector behind Club Med, Pierre et Vacances, Center Parcs, Appart City and Belambra.

• 2019

  Association counts 94 sites across 60 départements, welcomes 450,000 customers and records 2.5 million overnight stays.

• 2006

  VVF splits into VVF Villages (public-utility association) and Belambra (commercial SAS owned by Groupe Caravelle).

• 1989

  135 holiday villages created between 1959 and 1989 in 112 municipalities across 52 départements.

• 1980

  VVF becomes the leading social and family tourism operator in France; ANCOL created to strengthen cooperation with host local authorities.

• 1963

  VVF participates in the creation of the Bureau international du tourisme social (BITS), later ISTO.

• 1960

  Caisse centrale d'allocations familiales of the Paris region co-opted as founding member; Caisse nationale de Sécurité sociale and Union nationale des caisses d'allocation familiales join the board.

• 1959

  Loi 1901 approval granted; VVF association created; Louis Tissot elected first president; two holiday villages open in Alsace at Obernai and Albé.

• 1958

  Constitutive general assembly of the Villages Vacances Familles association confirms founding members.

• 1956

  Government of Guy Mollet extends the third week of paid holidays to all employees, helping relaunch mass tourism in France.

Major player in social and family tourism in France, offering accessible holidays while supporting local economic development.

• Family holiday villages

• Rental residences

• Hotel-style accommodation

• Children's clubs

• Territory-linked entertainment

1. 1Village Vacances Familleswikidata.org
2. 2VVF Villagesfr.wikipedia.org