Le paysage lacustre par le prisme du tourisme : le cas du lac d’Aiguebelette (Alpes, France)

Abstract

The lake area, where leisure practices interact with the physical environment that supports them, allows to clarify the role of tourism in the landscape configuration. From the case of Lac d’Aiguebelette (French Alps), this article proposes a geographic analysis of the lake landscape that articulates its physical and environmental dimensions with the practices and representations associated with the experience of places through the prism of tourism. Three results emerge from this study: first, we established a zoning of the landscape influenced by the lake based on a cartography of tourism infrastructures; a spatial analysis of tourism practices is then conducted according to the proximity to the lake; finally, interested in the sensitive experience of the lake’s actors and users, we characterize the axes of representations and issues related to the lake landscape. This approach makes it possible to identify the diversity of tourism spaces, practices and experiences related to the lake environment, thus broadening the perspective of analysis of the lake landscape by articulating its societal and environmental dimensions.

Keywords

• lake landscape
• lake tourism
• tourist practices
• cultural geography
• alpine lakes