Semitour Périgord

What Semitour Périgord does

Semitour Périgord (legal name: Société d'Économie Mixte de Tourisme du Périgord, SA) is a French mixed-economy tourism company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Périgueux, Dordogne. It is the leading tourism operator in the Dordogne department, managing nine major cultural heritage sites across southwestern France: the prehistoric attractions Lascaux IV, Lascaux II, Parc du Thot, the Laugerie-Basse rock shelters, and the Grand Roc cave; the medieval and Renaissance sites Château de Biron, Château de Bourdeilles, and the UNESCO-listed Cloître de Cadouin. The company welcomes more than 800,000 visitors per year and has operated continuously in regional tourism for over 25 years.

The company's revenue mechanics rest on three streams: (1) one-time admission ticketing at each managed site, (2) a travel agency registered with Atout France (registration IMO24130002) that sells tourism packages, and (3) group, educational, and private event services including space privatization. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via on-site ticket offices and the company's own website, with additional reach through B2B partnerships with tourism professionals, schools, and tour leaders. It operates a wholly-owned non-profit subsidiary, the Fonds de Dotation Lascaux (created 2018), which delivers free cultural access programs to disadvantaged groups via a network of more than 100 partner social organizations. The technical layer is non-digital by nature: the core "product" is physical access to heritage sites, with supplementary capabilities including 3D printing and photogrammetry for sculpture reproduction (used in the Château de Biron/Metropolitan Museum of Art project).

Semitour Périgord is governed as a public-private partnership (Société d'Économie Mixte), a structure common in French local economic development, with Mr. André Barbé as Chief Executive Officer. The company holds no public listing; its share capital is €2,096,600. Recent strategic activity centers on premium content development, international heritage collaborations (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018–2023), and branded digital distribution (Michelin Travel & Culture Guide, launched July 2024).

Name

Semitour Périgord

Legal name

Société d'Économie Mixte de Tourisme du Périgord (SA)

Website

https://semitour.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Semitour Périgord is a French public-private tourism company that operates nine major cultural heritage sites in Dordogne—including Lascaux IV, Château de Biron, and the UNESCO-listed Cloître de Cadouin—welcoming over 800,000 visitors annually through admissions, an Atout France-certified travel agency, and group services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Tourism and Cultural Site Management

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Tour Operators (56152), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJACAC

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Attractions & Landmarks (Observation Decks, Monuments, Scenic Sites)

SECONDARYTHAJACAI

UNESCO & Protected Landmark Sites

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Attractions & Landmarks (Observation Decks, Monuments, Scenic Sites)

SECONDARYTHAJADAG

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJAAAC

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Guided Tours (City, Cultural & Historical)

SECONDARYTHAKAFAK

Cultural, Heritage & Arts Travel Agencies

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Specialty/Niche Travel Agencies (Luxury, Adventure, Honeymoon, etc.)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage tourism
• Prehistoric cave tours
• Historical monument management
• Travel agency services
• Cultural site operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Périgueux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Cultural Site Admissions: Revenue generated from ticket sales to cultural and heritage sites including prehistoric caves (Lascaux IV, Lascaux II, Grand Roc cave), medieval castles (Château de Biron, Château de Bourdeilles), and other heritage locations (Cloître de Cadouin, Parc du Thot).
2. Travel Agency Services: The company operates a travel agency certified by Atout France (registration number IMO24130002), providing tourism services and packages.
3. Group and Event Services: Services for groups and associations including privatization of spaces for events and special occasions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Semitour Périgord operates and manages a portfolio of major cultural heritage sites in the Dordogne region of France, including prehistoric caves (Lascaux IV, Lascaux II, Grand Roc, Laugerie-Basse), medieval and Renaissance castles (Château de Biron, Château de Bourdeilles), the UNESCO-listed Cloître de Cadouin, and the Parc du Thot prehistoric animal park. The company runs an Atout France-certified travel agency and offers group bookings, educational visits, and space privatization for events, welcoming more than 800,000 visitors annually.

Product overview

Semitour Périgord operates as a unified platform managing a portfolio of 9+ distinct cultural heritage sites in Dordogne, France, welcoming over 800,000 visitors annually. The core offering comprises prehistoric sites (Lascaux IV, Lascaux II, Parc du Thot, Laugerie-Basse rock shelters, Grand Roc cave) and medieval/Renaissance castles (Château de Biron, Château de Bourdeilles, Cloître de Cadouin). Services include visitor ticketing and guided experiences at each site. The subsidiary Lascaux Endowment Fund (2018) provides free cultural access programs for vulnerable populations, while the company's travel agency holds official Atout France certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fonds de Dotation Lascaux: A non-profit endowment fund created in 2018 to develop solidarity initiatives making Lascaux heritage accessible to disadvantaged groups.
• Les Trésors du Périgord

Quantifiable outcome

• 800,000+ annual visitors from around the world
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Michelin GuideflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2024Collaboration to produce 'Trésors du Périgord' (Treasures of Périgord), the first digital guide in the Michelin Travel & Culture Guide series. This free interactive guide highlights emblematic cultural sites of the Dordogne including Lascaux IV, Lascaux II, Château de Biron, Cloître de Cadouin, and Parc du Thot.
• Dordogne DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Broader project led by the Dordogne Department to certify cultural sites with the 'Accueil Vélo' label. Lascaux II, Lascaux IV, and Parc du Thot joined the national cycling tourism network in 2024, offering services for cyclists within 5km of cycling routes.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2023Exceptional international collaboration between Semitour Périgord and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The project involves reinstalling Renaissance sculptures (Pietà and Entombment of Christ) originally from Château de Biron's chapel. In 2018, Semitour initiated the project to recreate and reinstall these sculptures in their original location. On October 23, 2023, the facsimile of the Pietà was installed in the chapel of Château de Biron.
• Atelier des Fac-similés du Périgord (AFSP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Specialized art reproduction studio commissioned for the MET collaboration project. AFSP uses 3D printing and photogrammetry to create faithful reproductions of original sculptures for installation at Château de Biron.
• Secours populaireminorOthersSocial organization beneficiary of the Lascaux Endowment Fund programs, providing cultural access to vulnerable populations
• Secours catholiqueminorOthersSocial organization beneficiary of the Lascaux Endowment Fund programs
• Ligue contre le cancerminorOthersSocial organization beneficiary of the Lascaux Endowment Fund programs
• Croix-RougeminorOthersSocial organization beneficiary of the Lascaux Endowment Fund programs
• Petits frères des PauvresminorOthersSocial organization beneficiary of the Lascaux Endowment Fund programs

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Château de Versailles: Iconic French heritage attraction operated as a public establishment. Comparable as a high-traffic, world-class French historical monument with ticketing, guided tours, and event privatization services at much larger scale.
• Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN): French national agency managing ~100 historic monuments across France. Comparable as a public-affiliated heritage site operator with a portfolio model and ticketing infrastructure, though operating at national rather than departmental scale.

Direct peers

• GetYourGuide: Leading global OTA for tours, attractions, and experiences. Comparable as a distribution channel and potential partner/competitor for ticket sales of heritage attractions like those managed by Semitour Périgord.
• Viator (Tripadvisor): Global OTA for tours and attractions serving the same end customers as Semitour's sites. Comparable as a distribution platform where Semitour's Lascaux and castle experiences are listed alongside competing heritage attractions.
• Château de Chenonceau: Privately-operated Loire Valley château and one of France's most-visited castles. Comparable as a heritage castle attraction with ticketing, guided tours, and event hosting in a similar destination-tourism model.
• Château de Chambord: UNESCO-listed French Renaissance château operating as a major visitor attraction. Comparable as a publicly-managed historic castle with ticketing, visitor services, and event hosting at a similar destination-tourism scale.
• Musée National de Préhistoire (Les Eyzies-de-Tayac): National museum dedicated to prehistory in the same Dordogne/Vézère valley region. Directly comparable as a prehistoric-focused visitor attraction competing for the same tourist demographic visiting Lascaux and the Vézère valley sites.

Regional players

• Futuroscope: Major French theme park near Poitiers operating ticketed experiences. Comparable as a French regional paid-attraction operator driving destination tourism, though focused on entertainment rather than cultural heritage.

Emerging players

• Vulcania: French geological/volcanic theme park in Auvergne. Comparable as a themed visitor attraction with educational content around natural heritage, addressing a similar experiential learning niche to Semitour's Parc du Thot.

Others

• Parc Zoologique de Thoiry: French privately-operated zoo and animal park offering educational visits. Comparable as a regional French ticketed animal/nature park operator with educational programming for school groups, similar to Semitour's Parc du Thot.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/semitourperigord

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Semitour Périgord