ATES (Association pour le tourisme équitable et solidaire)

What ATES (Association pour le tourisme équitable et solidaire) does

ATES (Association pour le tourisme équitable et solidaire) is a French non-profit association founded in 2006 and headquartered in Paris. It is the principal coordinating body for fair tourism in France and operates the only fair tourism label registered in the World Fair Trade Organization's International Fair Trade Labels Guide. The association federates approximately 40 member organizations active across more than 50 destinations, and its work spans three reinforcing activities: (1) operation of the Label Tourisme Equitable certification, which credential tour operators and accommodations against fair trade criteria applied across economic, social, environmental, and cultural dimensions; (2) delivery of training, consulting, and technical assistance for tourism professionals seeking to align with fair tourism standards; and (3) advocacy and representation of fair tourism interests to public institutions and sector partners.

The association generates revenue from a diversified mix of recurring and transactional sources including membership dues from its network of approximately 40 member organizations, certification fees paid by labeled operators, and service income from training programs and consulting engagements. Institutional funding from the Agence Française de Développement historically supplemented this base but was not renewed for the 2026-2028 convention period, pressuring ATES to evolve its economic model. The operational perimeter is modest, with 28 employees, and the association is governed by a voluntary board with Jean-Marie Perrier as President and Coralie Marti as Director since September 2021.

ATES' 2024-2033 strategic roadmap reframes priorities across the label, training activities, and advocacy positioning. Strategic partners such as France Volontaires (under a three-year agreement signed 2024-09-12) and regional initiatives such as the Fair Breizh Programme extend the association's reach beyond direct membership services. The 2025 launch of a refreshed Label referential and the intensification of labeling procedures for the 2026 cycle suggest an organization repositioning from grant dependence toward commercial self-sufficiency built on certification, training, and consulting revenue.

Name

ATES (Association pour le tourisme équitable et solidaire)

Legal name

Association pour le Tourisme Equitable et Solidaire (ATES)

Website

https://ates-tourisme-equitable.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ATES (Association pour le tourisme équitable et solidaire) is a Paris-based French non-profit founded in 2006 that operates the Label Tourisme Equitable certification, federates approximately 40 fair tourism member organizations active across 50+ destinations, and delivers training, consulting, and advocacy services to tourism professionals aligned with fair trade standards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fair Trade Tourism Certification

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural/Heritage Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational & Student Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAJ), Multi-Activity Adventure Tour Operators (Mixed itineraries) (THAAADAJ)

Keywords

• Fair trade tourism
• Tourism certification
• Solidarity tourism
• Responsible travel
• Ethical tourism labeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: ATES generates revenue through membership fees from its network of approximately 40 member organizations. Members benefit from network federation, label credibility, and representation services.
2. Label certification fees: Tour operators and tourism structures pay for label certification and re-certification processes. The label evaluates governance, social justice, local participation, and environmental responsibility through approximately 50 criteria.
3. Training services: ATES offers formations (training programs) eligible to public funding and OPCO financing. Training covers fair tourism principles, sustainable practices, and professional development for tourism operators.
4. Expertise and consulting services: The association provides territorial consulting, advises institutions, and orients project holders in their business creation. Services include 'missions dexpertise' for territories and institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ATES operates a professional network federation of around 40 member organizations committed to fair and solidarity-based tourism, anchored by its proprietary "Label Tourisme Équitable" certification launched in 2014. The association certifies tour operators, travel agencies, and accommodation providers against approximately 50 criteria covering governance, social justice, local participation, and environmental responsibility, while also delivering professional training, expertise/consulting missions, and consumer promotion through the www.tourismesolidaire.org platform covering 50+ destinations.

Product overview

ATES (Association pour le Tourisme Équitable et Solidaire) is a professional network founded in 2006 that serves as France's primary organization for fair and solidarity-based tourism. The organization operates a certification Label called 'Label Tourisme Équitable' created in 2014, which guarantees that tourism operators adhere to fair trade principles including equitable governance, environmental responsibility, democratic management, and benefits to local communities. Beyond the label, ATES provides professional training programs eligible for public funding (OPCO), publishes research and educational materials, offers consulting services for territories and project leaders, and organizes events such as the annual 'Dialogues du Tourisme Équitable'. The organization federates approximately 40 member organizations and operates the public-facing portal www.tourismesolidaire.org to promote certified fair trade travel offers across 50+ destinations worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Label Tourisme Equitable: A certification label created by ATES to guarantee the ethics and sincerity of tourism actors, evaluating governance, social justice, local participation, and environmental responsibility across nearly 50 criteria.

Products and services

• Label Tourisme Équitable Certification label guaranteeing that tourism operators (tour operators, receptive agencies, accommodation providers) adhere to fair trade principles. Evaluation covers approximately 50 criteria across governance, social justice, local participation, and environmental responsibility, with third-party evaluation and a professional labeling committee. Recognized in the International Guide of Fair Trade Labels.
• Professional Training Programs (Formations Professionnelles) Professional training programs covering fair tourism principles and sustainable practices for tourism operators, eligible for public funding and OPCO (skills operator) financing.
• www.tourismesolidaire.org consumer platform Public-facing platform showcasing all labeled fair trade tourism offers and activities in more than 50 destinations, enabling travelers to discover and access certified equitable travel experiences.
• Expertise Missions (Missions d'expertise) Consulting and expertise services for territories, institutions, and project leaders seeking to develop fair trade tourism activities; also orients project holders in business creation.
• Fair Breizh Program Regional pilot program in Brittany, co-financed by ADEME and CRT Bretagne, supporting the emergence, structuring, and certification of fair trade tourism offerings in the region.
• Charte du Tourisme Équitable et Solidaire Foundational charter defining principles and commitments for fair and solidarity-based tourism operators; republished in 2025 alongside the new label referential.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025 marked a recovery with traveler volume exceeding 2019 levels for labeled operators
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• France VolontairescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2024Three-year partnership formalizing collaboration between ATES and France Volontaires, the French platform for international voluntary service. The partnership aims to develop and promote fair and solidarity tourism practices.
• International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATES is active within ISTO, participating in the working group on fair and community tourism. ISTO brings together actors from different countries around common fair and solidarity tourism projects.
• ADEME BretagnemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADEME (Agency for Ecological Transition) Bretagne co-financed and partnered with ATES on the Fair Breizh program to develop and label fair tourism offers in Brittany.
• CRT Bretagne (Comité Régional de Tourisme Bretagne)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional tourism board partnering with ATES on the Fair Breizh pilot program for fair tourism development and labeling in Brittany.
• Commerce Equitable FrancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerATES participates in the annual Quinzaine du Commerce Equitable (Fair Trade Fortnight) organized by Commerce Equitable France, highlighting connections between fair trade and fair tourism.
• UNAT BretagnesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Fair Breizh program steering committee alongside ATES, CRT Bretagne, and regional tourism stakeholders.
• FAIR Future programsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerATES participates alongside initiatives like the FAIR Future program to develop educational tools for future tourism professionals and travelers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fair Trade Tourism (FTT): South African certification body for fair and responsible tourism. The closest international peer to ATES, applying third-party verification against fair-trade principles for accommodation and tour operators in Southern Africa — directly comparable in certifying ethical tourism offers.
• Travelife: International sustainability certification and training system for tour operators, accommodations, and destinations. Comparable to ATES in certifying tourism businesses against sustainability criteria and providing training to the travel trade.
• EarthCheck: Science-based certification and benchmarking program for the travel and tourism industry, covering hotels, tour operators, and destinations. Comparable to ATES as a third-party tourism sustainability certification body operating globally.
• International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO): Brussels-based international network of social tourism actors. ATES is active in ISTO's working group on fair and community tourism, making ISTO the closest international federation peer in structure and mission.

Broad incumbents

• Rainforest Alliance: Global sustainability certification organization covering agriculture, forestry, and tourism. Comparable in certifying tourism businesses against environmental and social criteria and embedding fair-trade principles into supply-chain standards.
• Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC): International body setting and managing global standards for sustainable tourism, with criteria used across the industry. Acts as a meta-standard against which ATES's Label Tourisme Equitable and other national tourism certifications can be benchmarked.
• B Lab (B Corp): Global certification for companies meeting social and environmental performance standards. Tour operators seeking label-style credibility increasingly overlap between ATES-equitable certification and B Corp status — a competing/adjoining route to third-party ethical certification for tour operators.
• Green Tourism / Green Key: International eco-certification programs for hotels and tourism businesses. Comparable as one of the most widely recognized tourism sustainability certifications, addressing the same 'responsible tourism' positioning ATES occupies for accommodations and operators in France.

Regional players

• TourCert: German non-profit certification body for sustainable tourism, certifying tour operators and destinations against CSR criteria. Closely analogous to ATES in offering a German-national sustainability/ethics tourism label supported by public and industry stakeholders.

Others

• Commerce Équitable France: French national platform federating fair-trade actors and organizing the annual Quinzaine du Commerce Equitable. ATES is an active member and co-organizes fair-trade tourism programming with this body — comparable as a sister membership federation sharing the fair-trade agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/voyagesates
• Facebookfacebook.com/voyagesATES
• Instagraminstagram.com/voyagesates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ates-association-pour-le-tourisme-%C3%A9quitable-et-solidaire-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ATES (Association pour le tourisme équitable et solidaire)