Buchard Travel

What Buchard Travel does

Buchard Voyages SA is a Swiss family-owned travel agency founded in 1953 in Leytron, Valais, and now in its third generation of family leadership. The company sells packaged leisure travel — primarily coach tours, combined air-coach packages, dedicated air tours, and cruises — across approximately 160 destinations, predominantly in France and broader Europe, with seasonal offerings in Christmas markets, ski, beach holidays, and themed trips (music, hiking, sports events, theme parks). It serves Swiss individual leisure travelers and small-to-mid-sized groups, with group discounts at 3% (8+ persons) and 5% (10+ persons) and corporate travel handled through the newly acquired Croisitour subsidiary.

Operations are asset-heavy in transport: the company owns a fleet of 30+ luxury coaches (4-star and 5-star VIP) and employs more than 200 people across five physical branches (Leytron headquarters, Granges-Paccot, Aubonne, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel), a website (buchard.ch), a native mobile app, and telephone reservations. Pricing is transaction-based on packaged tour fees, with deposits of 35–50% at booking and balance 20–30 days before departure, plus ancillary revenue from the Club Buchard annual loyalty subscription (CHF 39 individual / CHF 59 couple) and commission or margin on insurance (AXA) and payment installments (CembraPay). Distribution is purely direct-to-consumer, with no third-party resellers.

The technology stack is conventional rather than proprietary: a travel booking website, mobile app for iOS/Android with loyalty point doubling incentives, standard analytics and remarketing tooling (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel), and payment/insurance integrations. No AI/ML, recommendation engine, or data platform is disclosed. In June 2025, the company expanded by acquiring Croisitour Voyages S.A., a 37-year-old Neuchâtel-based agency specializing in individual and business travel, marking the most significant strategic move in the company's recent history.

Name

Buchard Travel

Legal name

Buchard Voyages SA

Website

https://buchard.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Buchard Voyages SA is a Swiss family-owned travel agency, founded in 1953 and now in its third generation, selling packaged coach, air, and cruise holidays across 160 European destinations to Swiss individual leisure travelers, groups, and corporate clients through five branches, a website, and a mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leisure Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Escorted Coach & Bus Package Tour Operators (THAKADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter & Tour Coach Operators (TLAFAFAB)

Keywords

• Leisure travel packages
• Coach tour services
• Cruise holiday packages
• Travel agency services
• Group tour operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Leytron

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Package Tour Holidays: The primary revenue stream is packaged coach tours, airplane tours, and cruise holidays sold as all-inclusive or semi-inclusive bundles. Customers pay a total package price covering transport, accommodation, meals, and excursions. Revenue is collected as deposits (35-50% at booking) with the balance due 20-30 days before departure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Buchard Travel is a Swiss tour operator that sells all-inclusive and semi-inclusive package holidays across approximately 160 destinations, primarily in Europe. Core products are coach tours, air-coach combinations, airplane tours, and cruises, supplemented by themed trips (hiking, music, theme parks, Christmas markets, ski, beach) and supported by a fleet of 30+ owned luxury coaches and the Club Buchard loyalty program.

Product overview

Buchard Travel operates as a unified travel agency platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of travel products centered around coach tours, combined air-coach packages, flights, cruises, and specialized themed trips. The core offering consists of luxury 4-star and 5-star VIP coach tours (Voyages en Car) as the primary product, supplemented by air-coach combinations (Avion/autocar Buchard) and pure flight packages (Voyages en Avion). Thematic products include hiking tours (Randonnées), music trips (Voyages musicaux), and theme park excursions (Parcs d'Attractions). Seasonal offerings encompass Christmas markets (Marchés de Noël), New Year's Eve celebrations (Réveillons), and ski trips (Ski). Beach holidays (Balnéaires) represent a significant summer product line. The customer ecosystem is supported by the Club Buchard loyalty program, gift vouchers (Bons-Cadeaux), and a dedicated mobile app. In 2025, the company expanded through acquisition of Croisitour, adding an additional brand for individual and business travel. The portfolio spans over 160 destinations across Switzerland and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Club Buchard: Loyalty program offering discounts and exclusive travel offers for members, with annual membership fees starting from CHF 39.

Products and services

• Voyages en Car (4-Star Coach Tours)
• Voyages en Car 5* VIP Premium tier of the coach tour offering using 5-star VIP luxury coaches for an upgraded travel experience to European destinations.
• Avion/Autocar Buchard (Air-Coach Combinations) Combined air and coach package holidays that pair outbound/inbound flights with Buchard luxury coach transfers and on-ground touring.
• Voyages en Avion (Airplane Tours) Flight-based package holidays bundling air travel, accommodation, meals, and excursions for travelers preferring air-only transport.
• Croisières (Cruises) River and maritime cruise package holidays to European and international waters, with cancellation insurance available at CHF 25 to CHF 250 depending on package value.
• Randonnées (Hiking Tours) Guided hiking and walking package holidays through scenic mountain and nature destinations, suited to active travelers.
• Voyages Musicaux (Music Tours) Music-themed package holidays combining travel with concerts, opera, and visits to musical destinations.
• Parcs d'Attractions (Theme Park Excursions) Theme park excursion packages to European parks such as Europa-Park, Europa-Park 2-day, Hallowinter, and Futuroscope.
• Marchés de Noël (Christmas Market Tours) Seasonal package holidays to European Christmas markets during the Advent period.
• Réveillons (New Year's Eve Trips) Seasonal package holidays centered on New Year's Eve celebrations, festive dinners, and gala events.
• Ski (Ski Trips) Seasonal winter package holidays to Alpine ski destinations, including transport, accommodation, and lift arrangements.
• Balnéaires (Beach Holidays) Summer beach holiday packages to Mediterranean destinations such as Spain, Italy, and Croatia, typically combining coach transport with hotel stays.
• Courses d'un Jour (Day Trips) Single-day excursion packages to nearby Swiss and European destinations, marketed as accessible short trips.
• Club Buchard (Loyalty Membership) Annual subscription loyalty program priced at CHF 39 for individuals and CHF 59 for couples, offering exclusive trip discounts, loyalty points accumulation, access to member-only offers, and double points on bookings made through the mobile app.
• Bons-Cadeaux (Gift Vouchers) Gift vouchers valid for 10 years, redeemable for any Buchard travel package or service.
• Groupes et Entreprises (Group and Corporate Travel) Customized group and corporate travel service for groups of 8 or more persons, offering 3% (8-9 persons) or 5% (10+ persons) discounts, coordinated logistics, and tailored itineraries for associations, friend groups, and corporate clients.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Croisitour Voyages S.A.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2025Buchard Group expanded by acquiring Croisitour Voyages S.A., a travel agency based in Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds since 37 years, with expertise in individual travel and business travel.
• ForêtClimat ValaisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2024Symbolic collaboration for the preservation of forests in Valais. Buchard Voyages and ForêtClimat Valais began a partnership to support reforestation and forest conservation efforts in the Valais region.
• Estissimo VoyagesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEstissimo Voyages specialists provide destination expertise for certain trips such as Georgia. They accompany tours as destination specialists and contribute local knowledge.
• CembraPay SAminorOthersPayment processing partner for invoice and installment payment options. General terms and privacy policy of CembraPay SA apply.
• AXA InsuranceminorOthersAXA provides annual cancellation and assistance insurance for packages over CHF 5,001, with individual premium calculations based on client risk criteria.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Booking.com: Global OTA dominating online travel booking across accommodations, flights, and experiences. Adjacent competitor to Buchard as customers increasingly self-book components online instead of purchasing package tours, exerting structural pressure on traditional tour operators.
• TUI Group: Europe's largest integrated tour operator and travel group with global tour, hotel, and cruise operations. Comparable to Buchard in offering package tours and escorted coach experiences, but operates at vastly greater scale across multiple source markets.
• FTI Group: German tour operator offering package tours, coach tours, and city breaks across Europe and beyond. Comparable product mix to Buchard in coach and air-coach packages, though serves broader European source markets.
• DER Touristik: Major German tour operator group (subsidiary of REWE Group) operating coach tours, package holidays, and retail travel agencies across Europe. Comparable in coach-tour product mix and multi-channel retail distribution, though at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Ikarus Tours: German coach tour specialist offering escorted tours across Europe with own or chartered fleet. Comparable to Buchard in escorted coach-tour product structure, target demographic, and multi-country European itinerary scope.
• StudioVisa / Voyages Heliades: French tour operators specializing in coach tours and packaged holidays to Mediterranean destinations. Comparable to Buchard's Mediterranean beach and cultural tour offerings, though focused on the French source market.
• Hotelplan Group: Swiss-headquartered tour operator (MTCHolding) operating retail travel agency brands (Hotelplan, Travelhouse, Tourisme Pour Tous) and tour operating brands. Closely comparable to Buchard as a domestic Swiss competitor with overlapping coach tours, package holidays, and physical branch distribution.
• Globetrotter Travel Service: Swiss cooperative-owned travel agency with physical branches across Switzerland. Directly comparable as a Swiss travel agency serving outbound leisure travelers with multi-destination package offerings and personal in-branch consultation.
• Knecht Reisen: Swiss family-owned coach tour operator with own fleet of premium touring coaches. Highly comparable to Buchard as a Swiss competitor offering escorted coach tours across Europe with a similar luxury 4*/5* fleet positioning.

Regional players

• Voyages Ecker: Luxembourg-based coach tour operator offering escorted tours across Europe. Comparable to Buchard as a regional European coach-tour specialist, though focused on the Luxembourg market rather than Switzerland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarsBuchard

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Buchard Travel