Lausanne, Olympic Capital
Lausanne Tourisme is the official non-profit destination marketing organization for Lausanne, Switzerland, promoting leisure tourism and MICE congress business through a multilingual website, paid curated experiences, advertising sales, and a network of DMC and municipal partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1887
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Lausanne, Olympic Capital does
Lausanne Tourisme is the official destination marketing organization for Lausanne, Switzerland, operating as a non-profit economic association (association économique à but non lucratif) recognized by the City of Lausanne. The organization promotes tourism to Lausanne and its region through a multi-channel platform combining a multilingual official website, physical visitor offices (headquarters at Avenue de Rhodanie 2 and the Ouchy district office), social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X, a dedicated press portal (Media Corner), and a community-driven Lausanner ambassador program. Its service portfolio spans two primary customer clusters: leisure and individual travelers served through curated paid experiences (Lausanne City Pass from CHF 30, Choco Tour, Food Tour, Detective Trail, Winegrower's Table, and guided city tours) and the business events market served through a dedicated Congress Bureau, a self-serve Venue Finder portal, and the joint Lausanne Montreux Congress partnership. The legal entity was founded in 1887 and has 11–50 employees.
Revenue is generated through three principal streams: transaction fees on tourism experience and pass sales (with payment collected via credit card, TWINT, or cash at information desks), advertising and promotional placements in brochures, city maps, and digital newsletters ('What's up in Lausanne' and 'Lausanne, Capitale Olympique'), and recurring membership fees starting at CHF 300 annually. Distribution extends through an approved DMC partner network (Alliance destinations, AlpExcursion, Bucher Travel, Conventus, MICExperts, Ovation Global DMC), strategic alliances with Vaud Promotion, Switzerland Tourism, t-l (transports publics lausannois), and TGV Lyria, plus the Swisstainable-certified sustainability positioning and the myclimate 'Cause We Care climate contribution program. The underlying technology stack is content-and-booking aggregation rather than software: standard web content management, GA4 analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Apsis for newsletter automation. International recognition has been reinforced through New York Times coverage in 2023 (52 Places to Go) and 2024 (Olympic Spirit feature), plus a 2019 Monocle 'Best Small City in the World' designation.
Lausanne, Olympic Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lausanne, Olympic Capital
- Legal name
- Lausanne Tourisme
- Website
- https://lausanne-tourisme.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1887
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lausanne Tourisme is the official non-profit destination marketing organization for Lausanne, Switzerland, promoting leisure tourism and MICE congress business through a multilingual website, paid curated experiences, advertising sales, and a network of DMC and municipal partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lausanne, Olympic Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Destination Marketing and Tourism Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cultural, Heritage & Arts Travel Agencies (THAKAFAK), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing (THAHAGAC)
Keywords
Where Lausanne, Olympic Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Lausanne, Olympic Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Tourism Experiences and Activities: Sale of tourist experiences and activities including guided tours, city passes, food tours, chocolate tours, and wine-related experiences. Payment collected at time of purchase via credit card or TWINT, with option for cash at information desks.
- Advertising and Promotional Services: Advertising opportunities for businesses (hotels, restaurants, shops, activities) targeting tourists. Includes placement in brochures, guides, city maps, and digital newsletters such as 'What's up in Lausanne' and 'Lausanne, Capitale Olympique'.
- Membership Fees: Lausanne Tourisme operates as an independent economic association recognized by the City of Lausanne. They offer membership with exclusive outings and advertising discounts starting from 300 francs annual contribution.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lausanne City Pass - Access to multiple attractions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lausanne Choco Tour - Immersive chocolate experience |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | At the Winegrower's Table - Summer wine experience |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lausanne Food Tour with Private Guide |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Detective Trail - Self-guided exploration |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Public Guided Tour: Treasures of the City |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Lausanne Transport Card |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Lausanne, Olympic Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lausanne Tourisme is the official destination marketing organization for Lausanne, Switzerland. It promotes the city as the Olympic Capital and a leisure and MICE tourism destination through its multilingual website, physical visitor offices, and a portfolio of paid experiences (Lausanne City Pass, guided tours such as the Choco Tour, Food Tour, Treasures of the City, At the Winegrower's Table, Detective Trail), the complimentary Lausanne Transport Card, and a dedicated Congress Bureau offering venue finding and event support.
Product overview
Lausanne Tourisme operates a destination tourism and marketing platform that serves visitors and event planners. The offering consists of the main tourism website (lausanne-tourisme.ch) providing city information, event listings, and booking services, combined with a portfolio of paid experiences and passes including the Lausanne City Pass, themed tours (chocolate, food, wine), activity trails, and a venue finder tool for MICE professionals. The platform is primarily a content and booking aggregation service rather than a traditional software product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lausanne City Pass A tourist pass priced from 30 CHF that provides access to multiple attractions in Lausanne and its region. Valid for 1 day or 2-3 consecutive days; each attraction can be visited once. Personal, non-transferable, and non-refundable. Targeted at leisure travelers and short-stay visitors.
- Lausanne Choco Tour An immersive audio-guided tour priced from 29 CHF that takes visitors through Lausanne's chocolate-related attractions and venues. Targeted at individual tourists and small groups seeking themed culinary experiences.
- Detective Trail An interactive self-guided detective-themed trail experience available for purchase on the Lausanne Tourisme website. Targeted at families, couples, and individual visitors looking for an engaging city exploration activity.
- Lausanne Food Tour with a private guide A guided culinary tour priced from 155 CHF, led by a Lausanne local, featuring five local specialities at selected established venues. Targeted at visitors seeking premium gastronomic experiences with insider local perspective.
- At the winegrower's table A summer seasonal wine experience priced from 99 CHF, held every Wednesday during summer when a Lavaux-region winegrower opens their winery for an exclusive evening. Targeted at wine enthusiasts and cultural tourists visiting the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards.
- Travel journal A travel journal designed to entertain children during visits to Lausanne attractions. Targeted at families visiting Lausanne with kids.
- Treasures of the city guided tour A public guided tour of Lausanne's city center highlights and treasures. Targeted at leisure visitors and first-time Lausanne travelers seeking a structured overview of the city.
- Lausanne Transport Card A complimentary transport card offering free public transport within the Lausanne region for visitors staying at partner accommodations. Issued via partnership with t-l (transports publics lausannois). Targeted at overnight leisure travelers booked at partner hotels and accommodations.
- Venue Finder An online venue discovery tool (venue-finder.lausanne-tourisme.ch) enabling meeting planners, PCOs, and corporate event organizers to find and contact event venues across the Lausanne region. Targeted at enterprise MICE buyers.
Companies that use Lausanne, Olympic Capital
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lausanne, Olympic Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Lausanne, Olympic Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, preferred, strategic and supporting.
- Ville de Lausanne (City of Lausanne)coreLausanne Tourisme is recognized by and works closely with the City of Lausanne. The organization operates as an economic association under municipal support, with the city as a primary institutional partner.
- Vaud PromotionmajorRegional tourism promotion partner representing the canton of Vaud, co-marketing Lausanne as part of the broader regional destination offering.
- Lausanne Montreux CongresscoreJoint congress bureau for the Lausanne-Montreux region, offering comprehensive conference and event services spanning both destinations.
- Switzerland TourismmajorNational tourism organization partnership for international destination marketing, leveraging Switzerland Tourism's global promotional network and resources.
- t-l (transports publics lausannois)coreLocal public transport operator partnership enabling the Lausanne Transport Card, providing free public transportation for visitors staying at partner accommodations.
- TGV LyriamajorRail partnership offering convenient high-speed rail access to Lausanne from Paris (3h40) and other European cities, supporting sustainable tourism transportation.
- Alliance destinations SàrlpreferredSwiss DMC based in Lausanne offering leisure (FIT and group travel), transfers, excursions, and MICE services for incoming tourism to the region.
- AlpExcursion SwitzerlandpreferredPremium private transfer services and excursions provider, specializing in leisure and MICE segments for Lausanne destination.
- Bucher Travel Inc.preferredFull-service DMC with Lake Geneva Region office, offering leisure and MICE services including meetings, incentives, conferences, and events.
- Conventus SApreferredProfessional Congress Organizer (PCO) and MICE specialist based in Etoy, offering comprehensive conference and event management services.
- MICExperts (DER Touristik Suisse AG)preferredLausanne-based MICE operator and leisure services provider, offering group travel and meetings/incentives organization.
- Ovation Global DMCpreferredInternational DMC headquartered in Geneva with Switzerland destination expertise, offering MICE services and PCO solutions.
- myclimate 'Cause We Care'strategicClimate protection initiative where Lausanne Tourisme adds minimum CHF 1 surcharge to select activities, doubled by the tourism office to fund local climate initiatives and offset tourist activity emissions.
- Apsis International ABsupportingNewsletter distribution and marketing automation platform provider, handling subscriber data management and targeted communications under data processing agreement.
- Google Analytics 4 / Google Tag ManagersupportingWeb analytics and tag management services for understanding website user behavior, traffic patterns, and marketing attribution.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lausanne, Olympic Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Genève Tourisme: Official DMO for Geneva, Switzerland's other major Olympic/Institutional city. Direct peer in terms of country, mandate (city-level tourism promotion), product mix (city pass, guided tours, congress bureau), and target segments (leisure + MICE).
- Amsterdam Marketing: City DMO managing brand, content, and destination marketing for Amsterdam. Comparable structure (visitor centers, city pass, congress bureau, content platform) with more developed data and digital infrastructure.
- OnlyLyon Tourisme et Congrès: Combined tourism and congress bureau for Lyon, France. Direct peer in operating a unified leisure + MICE mandate with city branding, congress services, and DMC coordination.
- Luzern Tourism: Mid-sized Swiss city DMO focused on lake/mountain leisure tourism. Similar operational scale to Lausanne Tourisme and overlapping reliance on Switzerland Tourism for international reach, with comparable experience-based product offerings.
- Zürich Tourism: Switzerland's largest city DMO. Same national context and DMO mandate; offers directly comparable product types (city cards, guided tours, congress services) but operates at materially larger scale and budget.
- Visit Copenhagen: City-level DMO of similar scale and mandate in Northern Europe. Highly comparable operating model — city pass, themed tours, MICE bureau, sustainability positioning — and a useful benchmark for digital and content best practices.
- Visit Barcelona (Barcelona Turisme): City DMO for a major European leisure destination with strong congress business. Closely aligned business model including congress bureau, city pass, multi-channel content, and DMC-style partner network.
- Visit Oslo: Norwegian capital DMO with comparable city-scale mandate. Useful peer on sustainability narrative and winter/cultural tourism product development.
Broad incumbents
- Switzerland Tourism: National tourism organization for Switzerland. Functions as both a partner to Lausanne Tourisme (international marketing collaboration) and a broader incumbent whose campaigns and budget allocations directly affect Lausanne's inbound pipeline.
Regional players
- Vaud Promotion: Regional DMO for the Canton of Vaud, operating at the regional level above Lausanne. Functions as a partner for co-marketing and a structural comparator for how regional coordination is layered with city-level destination marketing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lausanne, Olympic Capital social profiles
Digital presenceLausanne, Olympic Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lausanne, Olympic Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Lausanne, Olympic Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lausanne, Olympic Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lausanne, Olympic Capital
What does Lausanne, Olympic Capital do?
Lausanne Tourisme is the official destination marketing organization for Lausanne, Switzerland. It promotes the city as the Olympic Capital and a leisure and MICE tourism destination through its multilingual website, physical visitor offices, and a portfolio of paid experiences (Lausanne City Pass, guided tours such as the Choco Tour, Food Tour, Treasures of the City, At the Winegrower's Table, Detective Trail), the complimentary Lausanne Transport Card, and a dedicated Congress Bureau offering venue finding and event support.
Is Lausanne, Olympic Capital a public or private company?
Lausanne, Olympic Capital is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Lausanne, Olympic Capital founded?
Lausanne, Olympic Capital was founded in 1887. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lausanne, Olympic Capital based?
Lausanne, Olympic Capital is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Lausanne, Olympic Capital make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tourism Experiences and Activities are the primary driver. The others are advertising and Promotional Services and membership Fees.
Who are Lausanne, Olympic Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Genève Tourisme, Amsterdam Marketing, OnlyLyon Tourisme et Congrès, Luzern Tourism, Zürich Tourism, Visit Copenhagen, Visit Barcelona (Barcelona Turisme) and Visit Oslo. Switzerland Tourism is listed as a broad incumbent. Vaud Promotion is listed as a regional player.
Does Lausanne, Olympic Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lausanne, Olympic Capital.
What industry is Lausanne, Olympic Capital in?
Lausanne, Olympic Capital's product category is Destination Marketing and Tourism Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAGAD, Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers), with a secondary code of THAKAFAK, Cultural, Heritage & Arts Travel Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561591 and its SIC code is 7900.