OFFICE DE TOURISME ERDRE CANAL FORET

What OFFICE DE TOURISME ERDRE CANAL FORET does

Office de Tourisme Erdre Canal Forêt is a French regional tourism development organization serving 23 municipalities across the Erdre river, Canal de Nantes à Brest, and Forêt du Gâvre territory in the Loire-Atlantique department of Pays de la Loire. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Nort-sur-Erdre, it operates four physical visitor reception offices (Blain, Nort-sur-Erdre, seasonal Nozay, Sucé-sur-Erdre) plus a multilingual website (erdrecanalforet.fr) delivering itinerary planning, event discovery, accommodation search, and activity booking across the territory.

The organization is built around three core content verticals: nature and outdoor activities (hiking, cycling, water sports), cultural heritage (historic sites, museums, events), and waterways (28 km of navigable Erdre and canal network with sailing, kayaking, and fishing). Its technology layer is assembled from third-party platforms rather than proprietary systems — Cirkwi powers GPS-guided cycling itineraries, HelloAsso handles event registration and activity booking, ACCEO delivers accessibility services for hearing-impaired visitors, and EDENN/ARS Pays de la Loire supply environmental and sanitary data. Curated digital outputs include 100+ hiking and cycling route sheets, a searchable events calendar (L'Agenda), an editorial blog, a newsletter, and brochures.

Revenue mechanics combine a public-mandate information role (free of charge to visitors) with commercial booking commissions on partner activities (e.g., €35/person day-sailing from Sucé-sur-Erdre via Les Passagers de Bullops) and event-linked sponsorship. Go-to-market is event-driven and content-led, anchored on two flagship owned events — Les Rendez-vous de l'Erdre (the only free jazz festival in France, 150,000+ attendees, 120 concerts, 250+ artists) and La Belle Plaisance (200+ historic vessels). Customer segments span active outdoor enthusiasts, families and groups, cultural/festival visitors, and a smaller business-tourism segment. The organization serves consumer demand rather than enterprise contracts, with diffuse demand across individuals and households visiting the Loire-Atlantique countryside.

Name

OFFICE DE TOURISME ERDRE CANAL FORET

Legal name

Erdre Canal Forêt

Website

https://erdrecanalforet.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The French regional tourism office for the Erdre Canal Forêt territory in Loire-Atlantique, serving 23 communes through four visitor offices, a multilingual website, curated cycling and hiking itineraries, and major annual events including France's only free jazz festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Tourism Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Tour Operators (56152), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF), River & Wetland Ecotours (Canoe/Kayak, Mangrove/Swamp Tours) (THAAAEAE)

Keywords

• Regional tourism services
• Visitor information services
• Outdoor activity booking
• Cycling tourism promotion
• Cultural event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Blain

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Visitor Services and Activity Booking: The tourism office provides booking services for various tourist activities including sailing excursions, nature outings, and cultural events. They facilitate reservations for accommodation, bike rentals, and local experiences. Revenue is generated through booking fees and commissions from partnered service providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OFFICE DE TOURISME ERDRE CANAL FORET operates as the official tourism board for the Erdre Canal Forêt destination in Loire-Atlantique, France. The organization delivers tourism information, visitor reception services, activity and accommodation booking, hiking and cycling trail mapping, and organizes cultural events (Les Rendez-vous de l'Erdre à Vélo, La Belle Plaisance) across 23 municipalities.

Product overview

OFFICE DE TOURISME ERDRE CANAL FORET operates as the official regional tourism board for the Erdre Canal Forêt destination in Loire-Atlantique, France. The organization provides both digital and physical tourism services, including the main tourism website, four visitor reception offices, an events calendar (L'Agenda), an editorial blog, trail mapping services, and the annual Les Rendez-vous de l'Erdre cycling festival. Core offerings center on outdoor activities (hiking, cycling, nautical sports), cultural events, and heritage tourism across 23 municipalities, with supplementary services like newsletters and brochures for visitor planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visitor Reception Offices In-person tourism information and reception offices in Blain, Nort-sur-Erdre, Nozay (seasonal), and Sucé-sur-Erdre providing maps, brochures, activity bookings, Accueil Vélo certification services, ACCEO accessibility for hearing-impaired visitors, and Wi-Fi access for individual travelers and tourists.
• L'Agenda Events Calendar Searchable events calendar covering festivals, concerts, exhibitions, nature outings, sporting events, and cultural activities across the 23 communes of the territory, helping visitors plan trips around scheduled events.
• Hiking and Cycling Trail Maps Digital and downloadable PDF trail guides for hiking, cycling, and mountain biking routes along the Erdre river and Canal de Nantes à Brest, including GPS-guided circuits via the Cirkwi application.
• Les Rendez-vous de l'Erdre à Vélo Annual cycling festival promoting soft mobility with six stages across 15 communes from Guenrouët to Nantes along 28 km of the Erdre river, linking concert venues via a continuous cycling network.
• La Belle Plaisance Nautical Event Nautical heritage event featuring over 200 traditional boats and historic vessels sailing along the 28-kilometer Erdre waterway, one of France's largest gatherings of its kind.
• Tourism Brochures Print and digital brochures covering tourism themes including nature, cycling, heritage, and business tourism for the Erdre Canal Forêt region, distributed via visitor offices and the website.
• Sanitary Monitoring Service (Suivi Sanitaire) Water quality monitoring service for the Erdre river, tracking cyanobacteria levels across 9 navigable zones from April to November with results published every 15 days to inform visitors and boaters of river usage restrictions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150,000+ annual festival attendees to the region during Rendez-vous de l'Erdre
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EDENN (Espace Départemental de l'Erdre et de la Nature)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for environmental monitoring of the Erdre river, including cyanobacteria water quality tracking. EDENN conducts bi-monthly sanitary analysis on 9 distinct river zones during April-November risk period and shares results with the public.
• CirkwicoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital mapping platform integration for cycling and hiking itinerary navigation. The Cirkwi application provides GPS-guided routes for Les RDV de l'Erdre à vélo with step-by-step circuit tracking along the canal and Erdre river.
• Les Passagers de BullopsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSailing excursion operator offering daily trips and sunset cruises on the Erdre river from Sucé-sur-Erdre, with concert and jazz experiences integrated with the festival program.
• ARS Pays de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional health authority collaborating on water safety protocols, cyanobacteria alert levels, and river usage restrictions during seasonal contamination periods.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Komoot: Digital platform for cycling and hiking route planning with crowdsourced content. Comparable as an enabling technology layer for outdoor tourism — directly substitutable for Cirkwi in serving the same cycling/hiking visitor use case.
• Viator: Global online marketplace for tours, activities, and experiences. Comparable as a booking and distribution layer for the activity experiences that Erdre Canal Forêt facilitates, though at a vastly larger international scale.
• Outdooractive: Outdoor activity and route platform covering cycling, hiking, and water sports across Europe. Comparable as a digital infrastructure layer that competes with Cirkwi for outdoor route content and trip planning functionality.
• GetYourGuide: Global online platform for booking tours, attractions, and experiences. Comparable as a digital booking/distribution channel that competes with the tourism office's role as a regional activity aggregator and reseller.

Broad incumbents

• Atout France: France's national tourism development agency. Comparable as a public DMO promoting French destinations and providing visitor infrastructure standards, but at national scale rather than sub-regional.
• Visit Loire Valley: DMO covering the broader Loire Valley UNESCO heritage corridor. Comparable destination-marketing function for a heritage- and nature-rich French region, but at a substantially larger geographic and brand scale.
• CRT Pays de la Loire: The regional tourism committee overseeing the same Pays de la Loire region. Directly comparable as a coordinating DMO body, but operates at a broader regional level and effectively functions as an umbrella/funder for sub-regional offices like Erdre Canal Forêt.
• Nantes Tourisme: The principal tourism office for the Nantes metropolitan area. Comparable as a French DMO promoting the same Pays de la Loire region, but with a larger urban scope, broader portfolio, and stronger city-level resources that make it a broader incumbent rather than a like-for-like peer.

Regional players

• Saint-Nazaire Tourisme: Tourism office for Saint-Nazaire on the Loire-Atlantique coast. Comparable as a Loire-Atlantique DMO promoting nautical heritage and outdoor activities in the same department, but with a coastal/port-city focus.
• Bretagne Tourisme: Regional DMO for neighboring Brittany, which shares the Canal de Nantes à Brest corridor. Comparable as a regional tourism body promoting nature, coastline, cycling, and heritage in a neighboring French region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCg5gueX3qaVTyZbGUpmtg8w/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/erdrecanalforet
• Instagraminstagram.com/erdrecanalforet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/office-de-tourisme-erdre-canal-foret

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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