Our story

1960/70s

Introduced

Tourism development in the French Alps

1967

Expanded

Creation of France’s Regional Natural Parks

1968

Expanded

Grenoble Winter Olympic Games

Années 80

Expanded

Requests for exchanges and expertise from other regions in France and worldwide

Exemple : Structuration de la Grande Traversée de l'Atlas Marocain

1994

Introduced

Creation of Tétraktys

Tétraktys was founded through the joint initiative of AFRAT (Association pour la Formation des Ruraux aux Activités de Tourisme), CRET (Centre Régional et Européen du Tourisme) and the Grande Traversée des Alpes, with the aim of sharing Alpine expertise in tourism development internationally.

2000

Expanded

First employees at Tétraktys

Pilot projects in Mali, Morocco, Senegal and Madagascar.

2007

Expanded

First Franco-Senegalese education project

Project partner: Department of Isère

2008

Expanded

First projects in Laos and Burkina Faso

Project partner: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region

2010

Expanded

First volunteers

Meet the current team

2013

Expanded

1st AFD project:"Palestinian Heritage Trail"

A joint project with AFRAT and PHT

2016

Expanded

First Volunteers for International Solidarity

+ New AFD projects: Programmes in Laos and Colombia

2017

Expanded

Member of Cluster Montagne's Board of Directors and member of the ‘Developing Countries and Biodiversity’ Working Group of the French Committee of the IUCN

+ First project in Lebanon

2018

Expanded

Founding member of the Institute for Training, Research and Expertise in Underground Environments

+ EU programme in Palestine and FAO programme in Laos

2019

Expanded

25 years of Tétraktys

+ Tétraktys relocates to the Grenoble International Solidarity Hub

2020

Expanded

First FICOL* project in Laos

*Local authority financing facility

2021

Expanded

Member of Coordination Sud

+ Establishment of Tétraktys’ Advisory, Research, Foresight and Strategy Council (CORPS)

+ First project in Argentina

2022

Expanded

Member of the Association for Fair and Sustainable Tourism (ATES)

+ AFD project in Sénégal : "Sur la piste du Caméléon"

2023

Expanded

First regional project (Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan)

+ Establishment of the International Solidarity Hub through the AFD’s “Kosmopolitès” project

+ First collaboration with the International Association of Francophone Regions (AIRF)

2024

Expanded

30 years of Tétraktys

+ First mission in the Himalayas: Ladakh

+ First Interreg Alpine Space project: Waterwise

2025

Expanded

Establishment of Tétraktys’ Youth Unit and Mountain Unit

+ First Green Infrastructure project in Benin

Our areas of intervention

Tétraktys was founded from the ambition of a territory—the Alps—to share its expertise and territorial experience internationally.

Tourism development

A core area of expertise for the organisation, tourism is a driver for improving the living conditions of local communities, provided it is integrated, adapted to the local context, and respectful of socio-cultural and environmental realities. Tétraktys supports its local partners in structuring (planning, capacity building, governance and networking) and marketing sustainable tourism destinations (long-distance itineraries, new routes, local products, etc.).

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Heritage preservation and enhancement

The initiatives carried out by Tétraktys since its creation, in 30 countries around the world, demonstrate that heritage enhancement has the power to give a voice back to even the most marginalised communities, restore their sense of pride, and encourage them to become active stakeholders in their own territories. Its participatory approach, in close collaboration with local communities, has enabled the organisation to build strong capacities in dialogue, consultation and team management among stakeholders within the same territory.

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Shared governance

Tourism development and heritage enhancement projects can only succeed if local stakeholders are involved and their voices are heard. By working hand in hand with local authorities and socio-economic actors, Tétraktys creates spaces for dialogue and consultation. This collaborative approach helps ensure the legitimacy and sustainability of projects, while fostering the emergence of innovative solutions tailored to the specific challenges of each territory.

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Global citizenship education

Global citizenship education: Global Citizenship and International Solidarity Education fosters the engagement of all citizens in building a more just, inclusive and sustainable world. Tétraktys develops educational and exchange programmes between young people from around the world, as well as public events, travelling exhibitions and debate conferences, in order to challenge stereotypes, highlight global interdependencies and strengthen our capacity to take action.

Discover how youth engagement in decentralized cooperation can drive transformative change for territories.

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Our expertise

With over 30 years of experience, Tétraktys has developed a wide range of expertise and built a strong network of experienced Alpine stakeholders. Thanks to this solid foundation, established both in the Alps and internationally, Tétraktys now offers its know-how to local authorities and civil society stakeholders at various levels. The team has the capacity to foster new territorial projects combining local development, innovation and sustainable transitions.

Territorial assessments and diagnostics

Whether geographical, social, cultural, anthropological, historical, technical or environmental, our preliminary studies enable us to adapt to local realities and design projects that are anchored in the long term, in constant connection with local initiatives.

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Territorial planning

We advocate the idea that planning does not stand in opposition to local perceptions, beliefs and constraints, but rather supports them and brings them into synergy. We remain mindful that our planning expertise serves the territory. Access to water—an essential component of any development project—is fully integrated into many of the initiatives we implement with our partners.

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Training

At the heart of our approach, strengthening capacities enables stakeholders within a territory to manage the tourism value chain: guiding, hospitality, catering, marketing, management, development of outdoor and recreational activities…

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Promotion of territories

Il est essentiel de mettre en lumière la beauté du monde et de promouvoir les spécificités des terroirs à une échelle locale, régionale comme internationale. Le rayonnement et l’attractivité des paysages culturels sont un levier pour le développement économique local.

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Project engineering and management

From fundraising to the evaluation of operations, including the preparation of planning documents, the development of proposals in response to calls for tenders, as well as the monitoring and implementation of activities, we operate at every stage of the project cycle. From municipalities to regional authorities, from businesses to universities, and in partnership with NGOs, we facilitate and coordinate coalitions of stakeholders to enhance the effectiveness of programmes.

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