Open Tourisme Lab

What Open Tourisme Lab does

Open Tourisme Lab (OTL) is a privately held innovation agency headquartered in Nîmes, France, founded in 2017 by Emmanuel Bobin as France's first startup accelerator themed "Tourism and Tech." The company has evolved from a pure accelerator into a five-pillar service platform for tourism stakeholders: (1) Etude & Insight, combining behavioral science and design research to identify adoption levers; (2) Design & Customer Experience, applying Service Design, UX Design, and Design Thinking to service redesign; (3) Events, providing strategic and operational event engineering for tourism conferences, Innovathons, and competitions; (4) Programs, including Market Fit prototyping, Go to Market acceleration, the Tourism Tech For Good initiative, and the RESILIENT competition; and (5) a Coworking space in Nîmes with daily, monthly, and annual passes plus business domiciliation. Underlying technology is methodological rather than software-based: proprietary playbooks combining behavioral science, Service Design, and collective intelligence, applied to consulting deliverables rather than embedded in a packaged product.

OTL monetizes through five revenue streams: (a) consulting and advisory fees for Etude & Insight and Design/CX engagements with regional governments and tourism enterprises; (b) event management contracts (e.g., Brittany Tourism Meetings with 530 participants); (c) recurring coworking subscription revenue (€218/month Nomade, €274/month Sédentaire plans); (d) business support program fees for startup acceleration; and (e) European project funding via participation as a partner in Interreg (MED4REGEN, €2.076M budget), COSME (First Mile), and similar programs. Customer segments span regional governments (Occitanie, Brittany, Centre Val de Loire, Massif Central, Souss Massa), tourism enterprises (a major outdoor hospitality group across four European markets), 150+ startup alumni, and a coworking community. Geographic reach is anchored in France/Occitanie with growing European and Mediterranean footprint through consortium programs. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and event-driven, leveraging institutional partnerships, a national France Tourisme Lab membership, and recurring flagship events for demand generation.

Name

Open Tourisme Lab

Legal name

Open Tourisme Lab

Website

https://opentourismelab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Tourisme Lab (OTL) is a Nîmes, France-based innovation agency founded in 2017 that applies behavioral science, Service Design, and collective intelligence methodologies to help tourism stakeholders — regional governments, enterprises, and 150+ startups — accelerate digital and sustainable transformation through consulting, events, programs, and coworking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Culture, Heritage & Arts Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAK)

Keywords

• Tourism innovation consulting
• Service design
• Behavioral science
• Startup acceleration programs
• Coworking workspace

Headquarters

HQ city

Nîmes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting & Advisory Services: Fees for Study & Insight, Design & Customer Experience, and custom consulting engagements with tourism stakeholders, local authorities, and enterprises.
2. Event Management Services: Strategic and operational event organization services including conferences, seminars, professional meetings, and creative challenges.
3. Coworking Space Rental: Rental revenue from open space, private offices, meeting rooms, and business domiciliation services. Plans include daily, monthly (Nomade, Sédentaire), and carnet/pack options.
4. Business Support Programs: Incubation, acceleration, and startup support programs for tourism SMEs and entrepreneurs, including Market Fit, Go to Market, and European cooperation programs.
5. European Project Funding: Participation in European cooperation programs (PHOENIX 4.0, First Mile, MED4REGEN) with EU funding through Interreg, COSME, and FEDER programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Open Tourisme Lab is an innovation agency dedicated to the tourism sector, providing consulting services, service design, behavioral science work, event management, structured startup-acceleration programs, and a physical coworking workspace. Its customers are primarily tourism-focused public bodies, destinations, and private operators seeking to design, test, and deploy new tourism offerings and experiences.

Product overview

Open Tourisme Lab (OTL) is an innovation agency dedicated to the tourism sector, founded in 2017 in Nîmes, France. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of services organized around five core pillars: (1) Etude & Insight for behavioral science and user research, (2) Design & Customer Experience for service design and UX, (3) Events for high-impact event management, (4) Programs including Market Fit prototyping, Go to Market acceleration, and the Tourism Tech For Good (TTFG) initiative for sustainable tourism innovation, and (5) Coworking space facilities. Key program offerings include the RESILIENT competition for innovative tourism projects in Occitanie, the Innovathon innovation sprint format, and three European programs (PHOENIX 4.0, First Mile, MED4REGEN). The company also operates OTL Media, a B2B media platform for sharing tourism best practices. OTL serves startups, SMEs, large accounts, and public authorities across the French and European tourism ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tourism Tech For Good ©: An accelerator program for transforming challenges into opportunities, bringing together entrepreneurs, experts, and local stakeholders in the Occitanie region to foster high-impact solutions at the intersection of innovation, ecology, and digital technology.
• OTL Media

Products and services

• Tourism Innovation Consulting Strategic and operational consulting engagements delivered to tourism institutions, destinations, and operators, focused on innovation program design and ecosystem development.
• Service Design for Tourism Application of service design methods to tourism experiences and visitor journeys, sold to tourism operators and public tourism bodies.
• Behavioral Science for Tourism Application of behavioral science to understand and influence travel and tourism decision-making, sold to tourism institutions and operators.
• Startup Acceleration Program Structured acceleration programs designed for tourism-focused early-stage startups, providing program design, mentoring, and ecosystem access.
• Coworking Space Physical coworking workspace in Nîmes, France, available to tourism-sector entrepreneurs, startups, and program participants.
• Tourism Event Management Design and delivery of tourism-focused events — conferences, workshops, and ecosystem meetups — for tourism institutions and partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ startups supported with development, fundraising, and ecosystem integration since 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Nîmes MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal metropolitan authority and key partner in OTL's ecosystem. Nîmes Métropole provides strategic support and collaborates on innovation initiatives including co-organizing events like MAN.IA Open Event on AI in tourism.
• Région Occitanie Pyrénées-MéditerranéecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government and primary supporter of Tourism Tech For Good program. Co-organizes RESILIENT competition and supports OTL's innovation initiatives in the Occitanie region.
• Banque Populaire du SudkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional banking partner supporting RESILIENT competition and providing mentorship connections to OTL-supported startups and entrepreneurs.
• Les VillégialeskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism development organization and member of OTL's board of directors, contributing to strategic direction and ecosystem development.
• Gard TourismekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental tourism board providing local expertise and connections to Gard tourism stakeholders.
• Aquatech InnovationkeyTechnology or IntegrationInnovation cluster specializing in water technologies, supporting OTL's sustainable tourism initiatives and connecting with technology solutions.
• France Tourisme LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of tourism innovation labs. OTL is a member, benefiting from national ecosystem visibility and cross-regional collaboration opportunities.
• MT Lab (Québec)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec-based tourism innovation lab. Partners on Explore France/Québec program supporting 20 French and Quebec startups in 2023-2024 to understand markets and seize business opportunities.
• Phoenix 4.0 ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project (November 2024-September 2027) supporting tourism SME digital and sustainable transformation. Partners include Arctur, AnySolution, Iceland Tourism Cluster, Dubrovnik Development Agency, and Catalan Tourist Board. Budget €6.8M.
• First Mile ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean COSME program (September 2023-November 2025) supporting 80 European tourism SMEs in adopting eco-responsible practices through behavioral science.
• MED4REGEN ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterreg Euro-MED project (April 2025-December 2027, budget €2.076M) transforming museums into regenerative tourism drivers. Partners: Region of Venice, IUAV University of Venice, MAO Slovenia, Promálaga, University of Sarajevo, Tourist Board Split-Dalmatia, Region of Epirus.
• CRTL OccitaniekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Tourism Committee co-organizes events including mobility and slow tourism events under COCPIT initiative.
• BIC Innov'upkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness innovation center collaborating on events like MAN.IA Open Event on AI and tourism business impacts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Phocuswright: Global travel industry research and consulting firm. While much larger and broader in scope than OTL, Phocuswright shares the role of providing tourism intelligence and research-based advisory services to industry stakeholders, including the events and insights business OTL operates.
• SiteMinder: Hotel distribution and revenue management platform serving the global tourism/hospitality sector. While more product-focused and at much greater scale, SiteMinder competes for similar enterprise customer mindshare and partnership opportunities in the tourism innovation ecosystem OTL serves.
• Skift: Travel industry media, research, and events company. Skift's research, events (Skift Forum), and media operations parallel OTL's event management, Etude & Insight research service, and OTL Media content platform — though at much greater scale and broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Mabrian Technologies: Tourism data analytics and intelligence platform serving destinations, governments, and enterprises. Both Mabrian and OTL serve tourism stakeholders with data-driven insights to inform strategic decisions, optimize customer experience, and improve destination management — overlapping in their destination-insights value proposition.
• Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics): Tourism-focused economic research and consulting firm operating within Oxford Economics. Shares OTL's role of providing analytical and advisory services to tourism boards, governments, and enterprises, though with a more macro-economic and forecasting lens rather than OTL's behavioral-science approach.
• MT Lab (Quebec): Quebec-based tourism innovation lab and OTL's explicit cooperation partner via the Explore France/Québec program. Both labs focus on accelerating tourism tech startups, organizing innovation programs, and supporting SMEs in their respective markets — making MT Lab the closest functional counterpart to OTL.

Others

• UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): Intergovernmental organization promoting sustainable and competitive tourism globally. UNWTO sets frameworks and standards that shape OTL's Tourism Tech For Good programming and regenerative-tourism work in MED4REGEN, serving as an institutional reference point for tourism transformation.
• Atout France: French national tourism development agency. Atout France is a government peer to OTL's regional government clients and operates in the same French tourism policy ecosystem; both shape French tourism strategy and have partnered on innovation initiatives.
• France Tourisme Lab: National network of tourism innovation labs of which OTL is a member. Represents the federated ecosystem that OTL operates within, providing national visibility, cross-regional collaboration, and a peer community of regional tourism innovation labs across France.

Emerging players

• TourRadar: Adventure and multi-day tour marketplace connecting tour operators with travelers globally. While more product-focused and consumer-facing than OTL, TourRadar operates at the intersection of tour operations and tourism technology that OTL's startup programs and ecosystem partners support, making it adjacent rather than directly competitive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@opentourismelab8666/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/opentourismelab/?locale=fr_FR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-tourisme-lab/posts/?feedView=all

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Open Tourisme Lab