International audienceThe article brings together information relating to certain high mountain tourist areas and places it in an historical context with a view to identifying the processes at work in the development of such areas. The study examines three mountain massifs (Mont-Blanc, Toubkal and Khumbu) where tourism development began at different times and has today reached different stages. The aim is to identify generic indices that might be applied to other tourist areas, whether they be in the mountains or not. With this in mind, the analysis focuses in particular on the role of the State, tourists and towns.Les conditions de la mise en tourisme de la haute montagne et ses effets sur le territoire. L'apport d'une comparaison entre le...