The ISTO

Mission

Founded on 7 June 1963, the ISTO aims at "favouring the development of social tourism in the international framework. To this end it is in charge of coordinating the tourist activities of its members, as well as informing them on all matters concerning social tourism, as much on the cultural aspects as on the economic and social consequences." 
In a more concrete manner, the ISTO, an international non-profit association, aims at promoting access to leisure, holidays and tourism for the greatest number of people - youth, families, seniors and disabled people - and favouring the implementation of this objective and the means that follow with the stakeholders sharing this responsibility, namely the states, social actors and operators.
Its mission also aims at promoting a fair and sustainable tourism, ensuring profit for the host populations and respecting the natural and cultural heritage.
 
Actions

The ISTO actions materialize mainly through the spreading of information - via its website, magazine and electronic newsletter - the realization of studies and research and the participation in cooperation projects and expertise missions.
The ISTO also organizes a world congress every two years, regional or thematic seminars, as well as workshops aiming at stimulating business opportunities among members and partners.
The ISTO working commissions allow member organizations to meet in order to discuss common interest topics and to suggest the carrying out of actions meeting their expectations. There are currently three working commissions on the following themes: youth tourism, tourism for the disabled and fair tourism.
The ISTO also has a scientific committee gathering academic researchers as well as association members interested in research issues, which acts as a think tank supporting the ISTO action with studies and research.
The ISTO also has an important representative function. It is member of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), of the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation (WYSETC), of the European Council for Non-Profit Organisations (CEDAG) and of the European Tourism Action Group (ETAG).
The ISTO has links with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), with which it has signed a cooperation convention in 2001 and with the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), with which it has signed a joint declaration in 2005. It collaborates with the European Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and also works in partnership with the International Association of Social Tourism (IAST) and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).
 
Members
The ISTO counts among its members public and private organizations, profit and non-profit making. Among them there are tourism associations, holiday centres and youth hostel networks, agencies and operators, trade unions, cooperatives, NGOs, teaching institutions and official tourism organizations, which all play a useful part in social tourism. The ISTO currently has nearly 165 member organizations in 35 countries.
The ISTO members are divided into three member categories: active members, split into three fee levels; honorary members under public law and honorary members.
Structure
The ISTO authorities are the General Assembly, which meets every two years, the Board of Directors, elected for four years, the Executive Committee, which is in charge of implementing the decisions of the Board of Directors, and the Head Office, located in Brussels.
In order to better meet the interests of its members on a regional basis, the ISTO has decided to create regional sections. In 1994 a secretariat for the Americas (ISTO Americas) was founded in Montreal; it promotes and fosters contacts, coordination and exchanges among the countries of South America, Central America and North America.
For Europe, a European Commission for Social Tourism (CETS) was set up. It is in charge of promoting the development of social tourism in all European countries and to liaise with the authorities of the European Union (Commission, Economic and Social Committee, Committee of the Regions and European Parliament).
It is in the same spirit that the ISTO created in 2004 a new section for Africa (ISTO Africa), whose mandate is to contribute to the development of social tourism in African countries, where this is realistic, to the benefit of local populations and to help the development of fair tourism towards Africa.
Finally the ISTO established in 2006 a Local and Regional Authorities Network for social and fair tourism, whose aim is to favour the partnership and exchange of good practices among local and regional players active in those sectors.