Lausanne, Olympic Capital

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.

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

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

• Destination marketing
• Tourism services
• Congress bureau
• Visitor information
• City pass experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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'.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, preferred, strategic and supporting.

• Ville de Lausanne (City of Lausanne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLausanne 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 PromotionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism promotion partner representing the canton of Vaud, co-marketing Lausanne as part of the broader regional destination offering.
• Lausanne Montreux CongresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint congress bureau for the Lausanne-Montreux region, offering comprehensive conference and event services spanning both destinations.
• Switzerland TourismmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational tourism organization partnership for international destination marketing, leveraging Switzerland Tourism's global promotional network and resources.
• t-l (transports publics lausannois)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal public transport operator partnership enabling the Lausanne Transport Card, providing free public transportation for visitors staying at partner accommodations.
• TGV LyriamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRail partnership offering convenient high-speed rail access to Lausanne from Paris (3h40) and other European cities, supporting sustainable tourism transportation.
• Alliance destinations SàrlpreferredChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss DMC based in Lausanne offering leisure (FIT and group travel), transfers, excursions, and MICE services for incoming tourism to the region.
• AlpExcursion SwitzerlandpreferredChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium private transfer services and excursions provider, specializing in leisure and MICE segments for Lausanne destination.
• Bucher Travel Inc.preferredChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-service DMC with Lake Geneva Region office, offering leisure and MICE services including meetings, incentives, conferences, and events.
• Conventus SApreferredChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional Congress Organizer (PCO) and MICE specialist based in Etoy, offering comprehensive conference and event management services.
• MICExperts (DER Touristik Suisse AG)preferredChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLausanne-based MICE operator and leisure services provider, offering group travel and meetings/incentives organization.
• Ovation Global DMCpreferredChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational DMC headquartered in Geneva with Switzerland destination expertise, offering MICE services and PCO solutions.
• myclimate 'Cause We Care'strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate 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 ABsupportingTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter distribution and marketing automation platform provider, handling subscriber data management and targeted communications under data processing agreement.
• Google Analytics 4 / Google Tag ManagersupportingTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics and tag management services for understanding website user behavior, traffic patterns, and marketing attribution.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xtwitter.com/LausanneCO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/LausanneTourisme
• Facebookfacebook.com/LausanneCapitaleOlympique
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lausanne-capitale-olympique
• Instagraminstagram.com/thelausanner
• TikToktiktok.com/@thelausanner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Lausanne, Olympic Capital