What Tropical Tours does

Tropical Tours is a privately held French receptive travel agency (TROPICAL TOURS SARL), founded in 1993 and headquartered at the Pointe-à-Pitre airport cargo zone in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, with secondary operations in Fort-de-France, Martinique. The company acts as an incoming tour operator (agence réceptive) for the French Antilles, organizing customized vacation packages — flights, accommodation, ground transfers, and curated excursions — for individual travelers, groups, and corporate clients, primarily departing from mainland France. Its core offering spans Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, and La Dérsirade, with a catalog of over 80 excursions and more than 500 vetted accommodations ranging from budget gîtes to luxury villas. The company also operates a dedicated cruise services arm providing shore excursions and turnaround (embarkation/disembarkation) services to nine major cruise lines including Costa, MSC, Aida, TUI, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Azamara, HAL, and Seabourn, handling over 60,000 excursions annually.

The business is built on a B2B2C distribution model: Tropical Tours does not own consumer retail but is the accredited preferred receptive partner for the four major French travel agency networks — Selectour (~1,600 agencies), Tourcom/GIE Manor (~1,225 agencies), Havas Voyages, and Cediv — collectively covering nearly 3,000 French agencies. A second enterprise sales channel targets corporate clients and CSE (employee committees) for congresses, incentives, and group travel, including events such as the National Lawyers' Congress, a 1,200-delegate medical congress, and the Route du Rhum hospitality program. Revenue streams are largely transactional: package holidays, IATA-accredited flight ticketing (Air France, Corsair, Air Caraïbes), cruise shore-excursion fees, and ancillary insurance (Multirisques Loisirs) sold as a value-added service.

Operationally, the company runs a lean permanent team of ~15 professionals that scales to roughly 100 during the May-October high season (including 50 Aquila-certified multilingual guides, hostesses, and baggage handlers). Technology is a conventional travel booking and itinerary management platform paired with standard marketing automation (HubSpot, Hotjar, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager) and consumer financing integrations (Floa Bank, Alma). Regulatory credentials include IATA accreditation (81500543), APST financial guarantee membership, Atout France registration (IM971110003), and Hiscox professional liability coverage, all of which are prerequisite to operating as a French travel operator. The company is led by Gérant Jean-Bruno Queudray, with Ursula Eliezier serving as Data Protection Officer, and there is no disclosed parent company, venture backing, or M&A activity.

Name

Tropical Tours

Legal name

TROPICAL TOURS SARL

Website

https://tropical-tour.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tropical Tours is a privately held French receptive travel agency founded in 1993, based in Guadeloupe and Martinique, serving French travelers with Caribbean vacation packages, cruise shore excursions, and corporate event services through a network of nearly 3,000 partner travel agencies and nine major cruise lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Incoming Tour Operator / Receptive Travel Agency

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Luxury & Expedition Cruise Specialists (THAKAKAE)

Keywords

• Receptive travel agency
• Incoming tour operator
• Shore excursions services
• Caribbean vacation packages
• Cruise ground operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Les Abymes

HQ country

Guadeloupe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Package Holidays: Customized vacation packages combining flights, accommodation, transfers, and excursions for individuals and groups departing from mainland France to Caribbean destinations.
2. Shore Excursions: Organized excursions for cruise ship passengers during port calls in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Serves major cruise lines including Costa, MSC, Aida, TUI, Carnival, RCCL, Azamara, HAL, and Seabourn.
3. Cruise Services: Embarkation and disembarkation operations at Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France ports since 2004. Turnaround services for cruise lines.
4. Travel Insurance: Multirisques Loisirs insurance product covering trip cancellation, medical assistance, baggage loss, and repatriation. Sold as add-on to travel packages.
5. Airline Tickets: Flight-only bookings with IATA certification allowing purchase of tickets to international destinations. Partnership with Air France, Corsair, and Air Caraïbes.
6. CSE/Corporate Travel: Travel services for employee committees (Comités Sociaux et Économiques) and corporate groups, offering tailored vacation packages for company employees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tropical Tours is a French Caribbean receptive travel agency (agence réceptive) founded in 1993 that organizes customized vacation packages, group/individual stays, and 80+ curated excursions across Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, and La Désirade. The company provides shore excursions and turnaround operations for major cruise lines (over 60,000 excursions annually) and books 500+ accommodations from budget gîtes to luxury villas. It also arranges flight bookings (Air France, Corsair, Air Caraïbes) via IATA certification, corporate events and congresses, CSE employee committee packages, and Multirisques Loisirs travel insurance.

Product overview

Tropical Tours operates as a dual-function travel agency and incoming tour operator (réceptif) serving the French Caribbean market. The company offers a comprehensive travel portfolio centered on three core services: (1) Reception/Incoming services for Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, and neighboring islands including airport transfers, multilingual guided excursions, and 24/7 on-site assistance; (2) Full-service travel agency operations including flight booking (Air France, Corsair, Air Caraïbes), accommodation across 500+ properties from budget gîtes to luxury villas, and custom trip planning; and (3) Specialized group travel packages including the GIR Guadeloupe 10-day immersive program, CSE corporate packages, cruise line shore excursions (60,000+ annually), and event/congress organization. Supporting products include the Multirisques Loisirs travel insurance and cruise booking services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Group Excursions Guadeloupe & Martinique

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60,000 shore excursions organized annually for cruise passengers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Air FrancemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Preferred airline partner for routes from Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France to Paris and provinces. Business class promotions and special fare agreements. New route to Fortaleza, Brazil announced.
• CorsairmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Youth and student flight offers from Guadeloupe with 2 included 23kg bags. Special fare agreements for young travelers (12-29 years) from 398€ one-way.
• Express des IlesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Maritime ferry partner for crossings between Guadeloupe (Pointe-à-Pitre) and Dominique (Roseau). Package deals combine ferry crossing with accommodation and excursion packages.
• Costa CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2004Ongoing partnership since 2004 for shore excursion organization and turnaround operations (embarkation/disembarkation) at Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France ports through 2025. Over 60,000 excursions organized annually.
• SelectourcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1993Preferred receptive agency partner for Selectour network of independent travel agencies. Accreditation renewed with 1600+ member agencies across France. Tropical Tours provides ground services for Selectour clients visiting Caribbean destinations.
• TourcomcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1993Preferred receptive agency partner for TourCom network founded 30 years ago, including GIE Manor collective. Over 1225 member agencies. Tropical Tours serves as exclusive or preferred receptive partner for Caribbean operations.
• CedivcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1993Partnership with Cediv voluntary network of human-sized travel agencies. Network emphasizes shared passion for travel and personalized service to travelers. Tropical Tours provides receptive services for Cediv client bookings.
• Havas VoyagescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1993Preferred receptive agency partner for Havas Voyages network of travel agencies in France. Provides ground operations support for Havas clients traveling to Caribbean destinations.
• MSC CruisesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1993Shore excursion services for MSC passengers during Caribbean port calls. Partnership for organizing and managing excursions at Guadeloupe and Martinique ports.
• Cruise Lines (Aida, TUI, Carnival, RCCL, Azamara, HAL, Seabourn)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1993Shore excursion organization for major cruise lines including Aida, TUI, Carnival, Royal Caribbean (RCCL), Azamara, Holland America Line (HAL), and Seabourn. Services include guided tours, transfers, and activities during port calls.
• APSTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Association Professionnelle de Solidarité du Tourisme membership provides financial guarantee for customer deposits. Covers refund of funds and repatriation in case of agency insolvency. Critical trust signal for customers.
• IATAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993IATA certification (Code 81500543) enables Tropical Tours to issue airline tickets on all IATA-member carriers globally. Required for international flight booking operations.
• Atout FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Official accreditation with French tourism development agency. Registration IM971110003 in the national tourism operator registry. Provides official recognition and consumer protection framework.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Amadeus: Global travel technology and GDS provider whose booking, payments, and airline distribution infrastructure is used by Tropical Tours (IATA-certified). Comparable as ecosystem infrastructure provider rather than direct competitor.
• Selectour: French cooperative of independent travel agencies (1,600+ members). Tropical Tours is an accredited preferred partner of Selectour; relevant as a distribution channel and ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Direct peers

• Island Routes: Caribbean cruise shore-excursion operator (Sandals subsidiary) serving major cruise lines at multiple ports. Closest direct peer on the cruise excursion business line, competing for the same cruise line contracts Tropical Tours serves.
• Look Voyages: French tour operator specializing in Caribbean, Mediterranean, and long-haul packages sold through travel agency networks. Comparable in go-to-market (B2B2C via French agencies) and product (all-inclusive Caribbean stays).
• Meeting Point Caribbean: Global DMC group operating in the Caribbean serving tour operators and cruise lines with ground services, excursions, and transfers. Directly comparable on inbound cruise and tour operations in the same destinations.
• FRAM (TUI France): French tour operator (now part of TUI) offering packaged Caribbean holidays with charter flights and on-the-ground services. Most direct competitor in the French Caribbean package market with similar customer base and B2B2C distribution.
• Ôvoyages (Karavel): Major French online travel agency focused on packaged holidays including Caribbean destinations. Comparable in customer (French leisure travelers), product (Caribbean packages), and distribution (online + agency partnerships).

Regional players

• Sandals Resorts: Caribbean all-inclusive resort chain with adjacent cruise-excursion subsidiary (Island Routes). Comparable Caribbean product positioning and target customer; operates primarily in Anglophone Caribbean rather than French Antilles.

Broad incumbents

• Voyage Privé: French members-only travel club selling premium discounted packages including Caribbean hotels and tours. Comparable French end-customer and Caribbean product focus, with overlapping supplier ecosystem.
• Club Med: Global all-inclusive resort operator with significant Caribbean footprint (e.g., La Caravelle in Martinique, Les Boucaniers in Guadeloupe). Comparable end-product for French Caribbean leisure travelers but operates assets directly rather than as a DMC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/agencetropicaltour
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agence-tropical-tours

Compliance5 records

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 Tropical Tours