Institut de recherche et d’études supérieures du tourisme

What Institut de recherche et d’études supérieures du tourisme does

Institut de Recherche et d'Études Supérieures du Tourisme (IREST) is a French public higher education and research institute founded in 1960 and operated as a constituent body of Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Headquartered at 21 rue Broca in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, IREST delivers a portfolio of academic programs dedicated exclusively to tourism, hospitality, and heritage management: two professional licenses (E-tourisme; Gestion des Établissements Hôteliers), seven master's programs (DATT, EDTI, GATH, GVTP, MIT, DFC, TourHer), a doctoral track through the EIREST research team, and continuing education for working professionals. International exposure is delivered via double-degree arrangements with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) for Digital Fashion Communication and with Harokopio University of Athens and the University of the Aegean for the TourHer sustainable-tourism master, alongside student mobility and the Campus France / Etudes en France channel for non-EU recruitment.

The institute's business model reflects its public-institution status. Core revenue flows are (1) French Ministry of Higher Education and Research funding routed through the parent university, (2) regulated tuition under French public-education standards, (3) the taxe d'apprentissage — companies may allocate 0.09% of payroll tax to IREST, and (4) professional training and continuing education programs for tourism and cultural-heritage practitioners. Program delivery combines classroom instruction with apprenticeship pathways operated jointly with CFA Stephenson and with mandatory internships, supplemented by job-dating events that link students to industry employers.

IREST operates within a broader ecosystem: it co-founded the Réseau des Écoles Universitaires de Tourisme (REUT), relaunched in May 2024 as INNTO France under the patronage of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, which pools six French university tourism institutes. It maintains the Chaire UNESCO on Culture, Tourism and Development, publishes the Revue Via research journal, and participates in partnerships with Atout France, the Institut national du patrimoine (INP), ACCR (cultural heritage sites), Éditions Gallimard, and FOOD HOTEL TECH. Leadership is headed by Director Sébastien Jacquot and Deputy Director Linda Boukhbris, with program-level coordinators for each master's track and over 150 students graduating annually.

Name

Institut de recherche et d’études supérieures du tourisme

Legal name

Institut de Recherche et d'Études Supérieures du Tourisme

Website

https://irest.pantheonsorbonne.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IREST is a French public higher education institute within Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne that delivers professional licenses, master's degrees, doctoral programs, and continuing education in tourism, hospitality, and heritage management to French and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK), Direct Enrollment & Third-Party University Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAB)

Keywords

• Tourism higher education
• Hospitality management programs
• Heritage tourism degrees
• Tourism research institute
• Professional tourism licenses

Headquarters

HQ city

PARIS, Île-de-France

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Higher Education Funding: As a public institution affiliated with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, IREST receives government funding for educational activities. Tuition fees are regulated by French public education standards.
2. Taxe d'apprentissage: French companies contribute to IREST through the 'taxe d'apprentissage' (apprenticeship tax). Companies can allocate 0.09% of their payroll tax to support IREST's educational programs and student development activities.
3. Continuing Education and Professional Training: IREST generates revenue through continuing education programs for tourism professionals, including specialized workshops and seminars such as the virtual lunches for Centres culturels de rencontre (CCR) network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IREST is a public higher education institute within Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne that delivers tourism-focused academic programs. It offers professional licenses (E-tourisme, Gestion des Etablissements Hôteliers), seven master programs (DATT, EDTI, GATH, GVTP, MIT, DFC double degree with USI, TourHer in Athens), doctoral research, and continuing education for industry professionals. Programs combine classroom instruction with mandatory internships and apprenticeship routes.

Product overview

IREST (Institut de Recherche et d'Études Supérieures du Tourisme) is a higher education institute specializing in tourism at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. The institute offers a comprehensive portfolio of programs including two professional licenses (E-tourisme, Gestion des Etablissements Hôteliers), seven master programs (DATT, EDTI, GATH, GVTP, MIT, DFC, TourHer), doctoral research, and continuing education. Programs are delivered through alternating work-study arrangements and include international double degrees. The institute also organizes professionalization initiatives including internships, apprenticeships, and Job Dating events connecting students with tourism industry employers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EIREST: Research team within IREST focusing on tourism research
• Chaire UNESCO
• Revue Via

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 students graduate annually from IREST programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Université de la Suisse italienne (USI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Five-year partnership renewed in May 2026 for double degree in Digital Fashion Communication. Students spend M1 at USI in Lugano and M2 at IREST in Paris. The program, coordinated by Francesca Cominelli, trains professionals in fashion communication with ethical and digital focus.
• INNTO France (Instituts nationaux de tourisme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2025National network of university tourism institutes, officially launched in July 2025. IREST participates in this initiative to enhance tourism education visibility and develop new training opportunities.
• Institut national du patrimoine (INP)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Partnership formalized in July 2024 for continuing education cooperation. Joint program 'Patrimoine et tourisme durable' held in Bordeaux in November 2024.
• Réseau des Écoles Universitaires de Tourisme (REUT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2022Network of 6 French universities (ESTHUA, IAE Savoie Mont-Blanc, IFIS, IREST, ISTHIA, ITCA) established in 2022 for tourism education and research collaboration. IREST leads the observatory on tourism training and careers. Network launched officially as INNTO France in May 2024.
• Stephenson Formation (CFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephenson Formation serves as the CFA (Centre de Formation des Apprentis) partner for IREST's professional degree programs. They co-manage apprenticeship contracts, organize employer visits, and coordinate alternating training schedules. The partnership enables work-study programs for Licence Professionnelle and Master students.
• Association des Centres culturels de rencontre (ACCR)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver virtual lunch sessions on tourism topics to CCR network members. IREST provides continuing education content on tourism development for cultural heritage sites, with 120+ registrations from members.
• Harokopio University of Athens / University of the AegeansecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for the MSc Sustainable Tourism Development program implemented in Athens. Three universities cooperate: Harokopio University of Athens, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne/IREST, and University of the Aegean.
• FOOD HOTEL TECHsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry partnership for student-organized colloquia. GATH students collaborate with FOOD HOTEL TECH to host professional events bringing together hospitality industry investors, managers, and brands.
• Atout FrancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational tourism development agency. IREST students participate in Atout France challenges and competitions, and the institution contributes to tourism research initiatives.
• Éditions GallimardsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Cartoville Grand Paris guidebook. IREST, as member of the Explore Paris destination contract, contributed to the new tourist guide launched in April 2024.
• Association régionale des cités-jardins d'Ile-de-FrancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIREST is a member of this association promoting and preserving garden cities in the Paris region. Participation in events like the Printemps des cités-jardins.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL): Global leader in hospitality and tourism management education. While EHL operates at far larger scale and price point, it competes with IREST for top-tier international students pursuing hospitality and tourism careers in Europe.
• Les Roches International School of Hotel Management: Swiss-based premium hospitality school competing for the same international tourism and hospitality student pool as IREST's MIT and DFC programs. Operates at significantly larger scale and price point, but serves as a benchmark for premium tourism education.
• Vatel School of Hotel and Tourism Management: International hospitality and tourism management school group with strong French roots. While broader and more commercial than IREST, Vatel targets similar students with comparable hotel and tourism management programs and has an established global brand.

Others

• Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: IREST's parent institution. While not a direct competitor, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne provides the broader academic and degree-granting infrastructure within which IREST operates and shares faculty, governance, and student services.

Direct peers

• ESTHUA - Université d'Angers (Tourisme et Culture): Faculty of tourism, culture, and hospitality at Université d'Angers, France. ESTHUA is a co-founding member of REUT/INNTO France alongside IREST and offers overlapping professional license and master programs in tourism, hospitality, and cultural management with similar work-study structures.
• IAE Savoie Mont-Blanc (Tourism Institute): University tourism institute within IAE Savoie Mont-Blanc offering master programs in tourism management. Co-member of REUT/INNTO France network with IREST, delivering comparable degree programs targeting similar French and international tourism students.
• Harokopio University of Athens (Department of Tourism): Greek university partner in IREST's MSc Sustainable Tourism Development (TourHer) program. Delivers directly comparable sustainable tourism curriculum at graduate level and serves a similar Mediterranean tourism-student segment.
• Université de la Suisse italienne (USI): Swiss university partner in IREST's Digital Fashion Communication double degree (renewed 2026 for 5 years). USI's tourism and communication programs serve a comparable audience and the active partnership makes it a tight institutional peer.
• ISTHIA - Université de Toulouse II: Tourism and hospitality institute at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès. ISTHIA is a co-founding member of REUT/INNTO France and offers parallel programs in tourism, hospitality, and event management with similar apprenticeship integration.
• ITCA - Université Catholique de l'Ouest: Tourism school at Université Catholique de l'Ouest, member of REUT/INNTO France. Offers bachelor's and master's programs in tourism with strong professional integration, closely matching IREST's profile within the French university-tourism ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UnivParis1
• Facebookfacebook.com/UnivParis1PantheonSorbonne
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-de-recherche-et-d%E2%80%99%C3%A9tudes-sup%C3%A9rieures-du-tourisme
• Instagraminstagram.com/paris1pantheonsorbonne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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