The LVL association

The origin of the LVL association

In 1966, Jean-Marie Orts, Jean-Marie Vedrenne, and Pierre Durou founded the Loisirs Vacances Languedoc association in Montpellier. Their goal was to provide access to vacations for low-income families. Thus, LVL initially acquired an abandoned hotel near Mont Aigoual in the Cévennes. It was then restored and opened as a Family Vacation Home in 1968.

Associative social tourism

Before 1936, tourism was largely reserved for a wealthy elite. But with social laws generalizing paid leave, a first form of so-called "popular" tourism began to emerge. In the 1960s, the adjective was abandoned in favor of the term "social tourism." Indeed, it was during this period that public authorities chose to support vacations. This choice was intended to reduce social and territorial inequalities. Sociologists today are unanimous: vacations strengthen family ties, teach people to get to know others, revitalize, and foster independence.

Particularly through the UNAT (National Union of Tourism Associations), associative social tourism, and in particular the Languedoc Leisure Vacation sector, is part of the now legally recognized sector of the Social and Solidarity Economy, where humanist values ​​prevail over maximizing financial profit.omie Sociale et Solidaire où les valeurs humanistes prévalent sur la maximisation du profit financier.

Click here to visit the website of the Regional Chamber of the Social and Solidarity Economy of Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée.

The LVL Les Ayguades campsite

Building on its social values ​​and its success in managing a municipal campsite in Grau du Roi, and supported by the INVAC (National Institute for Community and Social Tourism), which brings together works councils and social tourism federations, the Loisirs Vacances Languedoc association purchased and developed a plot of land in Les Ayguades in 1974 when Gruissan was created as part of the coastal development program. This 6-hectare plot of land would later become the LVL Les Ayguades campsite by the sea.

Year after year, careful not to offer "cheap tourism," the campsite improved its comfort. It introduced lightweight leisure accommodations, first made of plastic, then made of wood. It then expanded its offering to increasingly comfortable mobile homes with new, permanent facilities (including a restaurant building and a water park). The campsite would eventually receive a 4-star rating. Having expanded its attendance from Easter to All Saints' Day, it contributes to the local economy with probably the largest number of full-time equivalent salaried jobs per hectare of outdoor accommodation in the region.

The values ​​of the Loisirs Vacances Languedoc association

Today, the LVL association, whose Board of Directors, chaired by Christine Peyre, is made up of 16 volunteer members, continues to uphold the values ​​of social diversity and allocates all management surpluses to the investments necessary to pursue its mission. The campsite is VACAF-approved and also holds the "Tourism and Disability" label. The site offers facilities adapted for people with reduced mobility. The campsite is also environmentally friendly. For example, part of the pool water is heated with a heat pump and solar panels. Furthermore, for obvious environmental reasons, LVL continues to seek alternatives to air conditioning, which consumes non-renewable energy.

Since its creation, the association has reiterated the values ​​it seeks to uphold in its statutes.

Extract from the statutes of Loisirs Vacances Languedoc

Article 3:

The purpose of the association is:

• To contribute to the development of social tourism, leisure, and culture
• To initiate or support projects and initiatives that contribute to this goal
• To propose initiatives that develop and promote tourism, leisure, and culture within a supportive social framework

Article 4:

The purpose of the association is to build and manage vacation, leisure, and tourism establishments, as well as to manage and lead sociocultural activities in a spirit of popular education.

The association may welcome any member to its establishments, including working-class families, retirees, children, young people, as well as various types of groups such as works councils, classes, sports groups, senior citizens, etc.

The association may complement its activities with complementary services such as education, training, catering, hospitality, etc.