Hachette Tourisme

What Hachette Tourisme does

Hachette Tourisme is the leading French travel guide publisher and a subsidiary of Hachette Livre, itself part of the Lagardère Group. Headquartered in Vanves, France, the company operates eight branded collections covering the full travel-publishing spectrum: Le Routard (France's #1 travel guide for 50 years), Un Grand Week-end, Petaouchnok, Simplissime, Guides Évasion, On Se Casse!, Guides Voir, Guides Bleus (continuous publication since 1841), and Food Lovers Travel. The portfolio spans pocket guides, themed city breaks, gastronomy travel, children's travel (Mission Routard), and premium coffee-table books under the Ailleurs line.

The company's core technology consists of a traditional book-publishing infrastructure augmented by a proprietary digital reading platform (Liseuse Hachette) that distributes ebooks, native iOS and Android mobile applications, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site (guides-hachette.fr). Distribution is layered across Hachette Livre's physical bookstore network, the proprietary digital platform, and brand-extension media including the Road Trip du Routard podcast and active social channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

The business model is a B2C publishing model monetized through three formats: physical book sales (e.g., 16.95€ for Le Routard Albanie, 20€ for Guides Bleus hardcovers), digital editions via Liseuse Hachette (e.g., 11.99€ ebook, 14.99€ for Guides Bleus digital), and premium Beaux Livres. Customers are individual French consumers and travelers, with no enterprise or institutional segment dependency. Recent activity indicates active catalog expansion across all eight collections, new vertical entries in food tourism and children, and continued investment in digital and audio channels.

Name

Hachette Tourisme

Legal name

Hachette Tourisme

Website

https://guides-hachette.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hachette Tourisme is the leading French travel guide publisher and a subsidiary of Hachette Livre (Lagardère Group), operating eight branded collections including Le Routard and Guides Bleus, selling print and digital guides plus coffee-table books directly to French consumers through bookstores, apps, and its proprietary Liseuse Hachette platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Guides

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921), Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers (424920)

SIC

Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780)

akta.pro primary industry

Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fee-Based/Independent Trip Planners (No Booking) (THAKAOAA)

Keywords

• Travel guide publishing
• French travel guides
• Travel book collections
• Digital travel guides
• Travel content publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Vanves

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Physical Book Sales: Sale of printed travel guides in various formats including pocket guides, comprehensive guides, and visual guides. Products are sold through physical bookstores and the company's e-commerce platform.
2. Digital/E-book Sales: Sale of digital versions of travel guides through the Liseuse Hachette platform. Customers can purchase individual digital guides at lower price points than physical copies.
3. Beaux Livres (Coffee Table Books): Sale of high-quality inspirational travel books featuring photography and travel content, including collections like Ailleurs by Hachette, Petaouchnok beautiful books, and Routard inspirational books.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hachette Tourisme publishes and sells French-language travel guides across multiple specialized collections, including Le Routard, Guides Bleus, Guides Voir, Petaouchnok, Simplissime, Guides Évasion, Un Grand Week-end, On Se Casse!, Food Lovers Travel, and the Ailleurs by Hachette coffee-table book range. The guides are sold in physical print editions, as digital ebooks via the Liseuse Hachette reading platform, and are promoted through the Road Trip podcast, targeting French-speaking leisure travelers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Routard: The #1 travel guide in France for 50 years, offering comprehensive guides with hotels, restaurants, activities and monuments.
• Guides Bleus
• Guides Voir
• Guides Petaouchnok
• Guides Simplissime
• Guides Évasion
• Un Grand Week-end
• On Se Casse !
• Food Lovers Travel
• Ailleurs by Hachette

Products and services

• Le Routard Long-running budget and independent travel guidebook collection, offering destination coverage, practical tips, and curated recommendations for backpackers and cost-conscious travelers in French-speaking markets.
• Guides Bleus Cultural and sightseeing-oriented travel guide collection providing in-depth destination, history, and cultural coverage for traditional leisure travelers.
• Guides Voir Visually oriented travel guide collection emphasizing maps, illustrations, and sightseeing highlights for short-trip and city-break travelers.
• Petaouchnok Off-the-beaten-path travel guidebook collection for travelers seeking unconventional, lesser-known destinations beyond mainstream tourism circuits.
• Simplissime Simplified, easy-to-use travel guide line designed to provide accessible destination essentials without overwhelming detail.
• Guides Évasion Family-oriented and escape-themed travel guide collection providing destinations, itineraries, and practical information for family and relaxation trips.
• Un Grand Week-end Short-break weekend travel guide collection focused on cities and quick trips, providing curated itineraries for travelers with limited time.
• On Se Casse! Unconventional, alternative, or adventure-oriented travel guide collection for travelers looking for non-standard, surprising destinations.
• Food Lovers Travel Gastronomy-focused travel guide collection for culinary travelers, featuring destinations recommended for their food and drink experiences.
• Ailleurs by Hachette (beaux livres) Aspirational coffee-table travel book line featuring photo-led, large-format 'beaux livres' for readers seeking inspiration and visual storytelling rather than practical trip planning.
• Liseuse Hachette (digital reading platform) Digital reading platform from Hachette Tourisme that lets consumers purchase and read ebook editions of the Hachette travel guide collections on compatible devices.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Frommer's: Long-standing American travel guide publisher with comprehensive destination coverage. Comparable to Hachette's Le Routard in positioning as a comprehensive, expert-authored travel guide for independent travelers.
• Petit Futé: Leading French travel guide publisher with extensive destination coverage across France and international destinations. Direct competitor to Hachette Tourisme in the French travel guide market, with similar print and digital product offerings.
• DK Travel (Dorling Kindersley): Visual-focused travel guide publisher known for illustrated Eyewitness Travel guides. Comparable to Hachette's Guides Voir collection in emphasis on visual content and detailed maps for family and visual-learner travelers.
• Lonely Planet: Global travel guide publisher offering destination guides, phrasebooks, and travel content across print and digital. Directly comparable to Hachette Tourisme as a multi-collection travel guide publisher serving independent leisure travelers.
• Rough Guides: UK-based travel guide publisher with comprehensive destination coverage and travel content. Comparable to Hachette Tourisme in product format (print guides, digital) and target audience (independent travelers).
• Fodor's Travel: Established American travel guide publisher offering destination guides and curated travel content. Directly comparable to Hachette Tourisme in producing premium travel guidebooks for leisure travelers.
• National Geographic Travel: Travel content publisher under National Geographic brand offering destination guides and travel media. Comparable to Hachette's Guides Bleus and Ailleurs collections in premium, photography-driven cultural and travel content.
• Michelin Travel Guides: Michelin's travel guide division (Le Guide Vert) is a direct French and international competitor to Hachette Tourisme. Both target cultural and gastronomic travelers with curated destination content and restaurant/hotel recommendations.

Emerging players

• Tripadvisor: Digital travel content and review platform providing free, user-generated travel recommendations. Represents a partial substitute for Hachette's curated travel guide content, particularly for budget-conscious and digitally-native travelers.

Others

• Le Guide du Routard (historical brand context): Independent travel community and forum associated with the Le Routard brand legacy. Provides user-generated travel content and tips, partially overlapping with Hachette Tourisme's curated guide offerings but serving as a complementary ecosystem rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/guideevasion
• Facebookfacebook.com/GuideEvasion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hachette-tourisme
• Instagraminstagram.com/guideshachette
• TikToktiktok.com/@guideshachette

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 records

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 Hachette Tourisme