ABSTRACT
This case study article discusses the history and development of the International Organisation of Social Tourism (ISTO) and its role in social tourism policy and provision today. It will examine the origins of the concept, how it developed in a historical context and how the organisation has responded to the challenges this has brought. The main milestones of the organisation will be contextualised: from the foundation of ISTO (then Bureau International du Tourisme Social, BITS which became ISTO in September 2010) in 1963, over the Montreal Declaration in 1996 to the Addendum of Aubagne in 2006. Although social tourism is historically mainly a European phenomenon, ISTO is a global organisation, and the article will therefore highlight examples of projects in other parts of the world. In conclusion, the article will review the most recent challenges that face social tourism today and propose avenues for the future as proposed by ISTO.
