Visit Var
Visit Var (Var Tourisme) is the official public tourism development agency for France's Var department, operating the visitvar.fr destination portal and coordinating 153+ tourist offices. Publicly funded by the Var departmental council, it promotes year-round tourism to visitors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1957
- HeadquartersToulon, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Visit Var does
Visit Var, operating through its legal entity Agence de Développement Touristique du Var (trade name Var Tourisme), is the official public tourism development agency for the Var department in southeastern France. Headquartered at 1, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Toulon, the agency promotes the Var as a year-round tourism destination targeting general tourists, families, nature and outdoor enthusiasts, oenotourism visitors, and cultural tourists. Unlike a commercial enterprise, Var Tourisme operates as a public agency funded entirely through departmental government budget allocations from the Département du Var rather than through product sales, subscriptions, or commercial revenue.
The agency's core product is the official tourism portal at visitvar.fr, a WordPress-based website aggregating tourism data into a shared APIDAE database fed by partner tourist offices, territorial tourism houses, and chamber of commerce partners across 153+ municipalities. Beyond the consumer-facing portal, the organization operates a portfolio of B2B and professional products including the Observatoire Var Tourisme (analytics and barometers for industry professionals), La Fabrik des Compétences Tourisme (training programs for tourism professionals), the Bourse d'Echange (B2B exchange platform), the Réseau Destination Le Var (vetted network of tourism providers), the Médiathèque (media library for press and partners), Tourisme et Handicap accessibility certification, and dedicated press office services. Technology infrastructure is maintained by partner SYNEXIE and hosted by OVH.
The business model is fundamentally non-commercial: Var Tourisme does not sell products or services directly, instead functioning as a destination marketing organization (DMO) that coordinates a network of intercommunal and municipal tourist offices throughout the department. Distribution spans self-serve digital channels (the consumer website, the media library portal, social media with the #levarlunique hashtag, and email newsletters) and physical channels (the territorial tourist office network). Strategic partnerships with Atout France, ADN Tourisme, wine consortiums (Vins de Provence CIVP, Vins de Bandol), and numerous local municipalities anchor the ecosystem. Marketing reach includes dedicated press contacts for domestic France, European promotion, and international press relations.
Visit Var firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Visit Var
- Legal name
- Agence de Développement Touristique du Var
- Website
- https://visitvar.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1957
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Visit Var (Var Tourisme) is the official public tourism development agency for France's Var department, operating the visitvar.fr destination portal and coordinating 153+ tourist offices. Publicly funded by the Var departmental council, it promotes year-round tourism to visitors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Visit Var industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tourism Destination Marketing
- NAICS
- Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)
Keywords
Where Visit Var is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toulon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Visit Var business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Public funding / Government budget: Var Tourisme (Agence de Développement Touristique du Var) operates as a public tourism development agency for the Var department, funded through public budget allocations rather than commercial revenue generation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Visit Var product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Visit Var (operated by Var Tourisme, the Agence de Développement Touristique du Var) is the official tourism destination portal for the Var department in France. It aggregates and publishes comprehensive tourism information including accommodations, restaurants, activities, events, itineraries, and themed stay ideas across 153+ municipalities. The platform supports the department's year-round tourism promotion through a network of local tourist offices, professional tools for industry partners, training programs, accessibility certifications, and press relations services.
Product overview
Visit Var is a unified tourism information portal operated by Var Tourisme (Agence de Développement Touristique du Var), serving as the official digital presence for the Var department's tourism industry. The platform aggregates content from tourist offices, territorial tourism houses, and chamber of commerce partners into a shared APIDAE database. The core offerings include the main Visit Var tourism portal (www.visitvar.fr), the Médiathèque digital media library for press assets, the Réseau Destination Le Var professional network, the Observatoire for tourism analytics, La Fabrik des Compétences training programs, the Bourse d'Echange professional exchange platform, accessibility certification programs (Tourisme et Handicap & Var Accessible), and press office services. The site also supports newsletter subscriptions and provides professional access for tourism industry partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Visit Var - Official Tourism Portal
- Réseau Destination Le Var
- Médiathèque de Var Tourisme
- Observatoire Var Tourisme
- La Fabrik des Compétences Tourisme
- Bourse d'Echange
- Tourisme et Handicap & Var Accessible
- Press Office Services
Companies that use Visit Var
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Visit Var technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Visit Var partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Atout FrancecoreNational tourism development agency providing strategic support and official recognition for French tourism destinations.
- Département du VarcoreThe Var departmental council, primary funder and strategic partner overseeing Var Tourisme's mission as the official tourism development agency.
- ADN TourismecoreNational network of French tourism development agencies, providing shared resources and best practices.
- Vins de Provence CIVPminorWine marketing consortium for Provence wines, partner for oenotourism promotion.
- Vins de BandolminorWine appellation council for Bandol wines, partner for wine tourism experiences.
- Réseau Destination Le VarcoreNetwork of vetted tourism professionals including accommodations, restaurants, producers, artisans, and activity providers committed to responsible and quality tourism.
- Local tourist offices (intercommunal and municipal)coreNetwork of 153+ local and intercommunal tourist offices providing on-ground visitor services throughout the Var department.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Visit Var competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Atout France: National tourism development agency for France. Visit Var is a strategic partner and beneficiary of Atout France's international promotion activities; comparable in mandate but operates at country scale rather than departmental scale.
- Comité Régional du Tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Regional tourism committee for the PACA region that coordinates all departmental DMOs (including Var Tourisme). Operates one level above Visit Var with broader geographic scope and bigger marketing budgets; a hierarchical rather than direct competitor.
Others
- ADN Tourisme: National federation of French tourism development agencies (offices de tourisme and ADTs). Visit Var is a member; the organization provides shared resources, training, and best practices to Var and its peer departmental agencies.
Direct peers
- Alpes-Maritimes Tourisme: Departmental tourism agency for the Alpes-Maritimes (Côte d'Azur). Same departmental DMO model with overlapping coastal/mediterranean proposition serving Nice, Cannes, and the Riviera — directly comparable structure and audience.
- Bouches-du-Rhône Tourisme: Departmental tourism agency for Bouches-du-Rhône (PACA). Operates the MyProvence portal with the same departmental DMO structure as Visit Var, and competes directly for tourist share within the same regional perimeter.
- Visit Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf Tourismus): City-level destination marketing organization operating an official tourism portal, professional partner network, and media library. Comparable in structure and product portfolio to Visit Var's professional services suite, though at city rather than department scale.
- Visit Flanders: Belgian regional tourism board with an official destination portal, professional partner network, and observatory function. Comparable public DMO mandate at a regional scale with similar scope of activities (consumer content, B2B services, data analytics).
- Vaucluse Tourisme: Departmental tourism agency for the Vaucluse, also part of the PACA region. Same legal status, same funding model, and overlapping Mediterranean/Provence proposition (Luberon, Mont Ventoux, Avignon) — making it the closest geographic peer.
- Hérault Tourisme: Departmental tourism development agency for the Hérault department in Occitanie, France. Structurally identical to Visit Var — both are ADT-style public agencies running an official departmental portal, partnering with local OTs, and funded by the departmental council. Directly comparable mandate and operating model.
- Agence du Tourisme de la Corse: Public tourism agency for Corsica. Same structure as a French regional tourism authority with a portal, network of tourist offices, and B2B partner services, but servicing an island destination with a heavier sun/sea/nature proposition that overlaps with the Var's coastal and island offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Visit Var social profiles
Digital presenceVisit Var financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Visit Var leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Visit Var funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Visit Var 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 Visit Var
What does Visit Var do?
Visit Var (operated by Var Tourisme, the Agence de Développement Touristique du Var) is the official tourism destination portal for the Var department in France. It aggregates and publishes comprehensive tourism information including accommodations, restaurants, activities, events, itineraries, and themed stay ideas across 153+ municipalities. The platform supports the department's year-round tourism promotion through a network of local tourist offices, professional tools for industry partners, training programs, accessibility certifications, and press relations services.
Is Visit Var a public or private company?
Visit Var is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Visit Var founded?
Visit Var was founded in 1957. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Visit Var based?
Visit Var is headquartered in Toulon, France, in the Europe region.
How does Visit Var make money?
One revenue line is on record: public funding / Government budget.
Who are Visit Var's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Atout France and Comité Régional du Tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. ADN Tourisme is listed as an others. Direct peers are Alpes-Maritimes Tourisme, Bouches-du-Rhône Tourisme, Visit Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf Tourismus), Visit Flanders, Vaucluse Tourisme, Hérault Tourisme and Agence du Tourisme de la Corse.
Does Visit Var have an API?
No public API is recorded for Visit Var.
What industry is Visit Var in?
Visit Var's product category is Tourism Destination Marketing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAGAD, Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers). Its NAICS code is 561591 and its SIC code is 7990.