Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon

What Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon does

Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon (legal name: Office de Tourisme Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon) is a public tourist office organization headquartered at 1, route du stade in Lanton, France, serving the five communes of Lanton, Audenge, Biganos, Mios, and Marcheprime within the Communauté de communes du Bassin d'Arcachon Nord (COBAN) territory in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The organization functions as the official destination marketing and visitor services hub for the region, coordinating information, accommodation listings, dining options, an event calendar, practical visitor resources (tides, weather, maps), and approximately 48+ guided tours and activities — ranging from nature walks and family role-play experiences to industrial visits (Smurfit Westrock paper mill) and agricultural workshops (apiary visits, Marcheprime).

The underlying technology is a CMS-driven website (tourisme-coeurdubassin.com) with online booking/ticketing capabilities, multilingual content (French, English, Spanish), and a distinctive eco-design layer that calculates per-visit environmental impact via the Ecoindex methodology and uses green hosting through Infomaniak. Distribution extends to physical offices, Instagram, an email newsletter, and a regional podcast ("Paroles d'Ici"). The office holds the national "Qualité Tourisme" label from the French Ministry of Tourism and the "Label Accueil Vélo" cyclotourism designation.

Revenue mechanics are predominantly transaction-based: per-participant ticket fees for guided tours and workshops (€5–€9 depending on age and activity), booking commissions from activity providers, and ancillary income from the PASS d'ici local loyalty program. The customer base is a mass long-tail of individual tourists, families, and organized groups (school classes, leisure groups), served through a direct-to-consumer model with no enterprise sales motion. As a public tourism entity, the organization operates under the institutional oversight of COBAN rather than as a commercial corporation, and no venture, private equity, or public-market ownership was identified. The office was reported as temporarily closed at the time of data capture due to a fire-related evacuation plan pending Prefecture of Gironde directives.

Name

Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon

Legal name

Office de Tourisme Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon

Website

https://tourisme-coeurdubassin.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Office de Tourisme Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon is a public tourist office in Lanton, France, serving five communes within the Arcachon Basin (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). It operates a multilingual website and ticketing platform offering guided tours, accommodation listings, dining information, and an event calendar to individual tourists, families, and organized groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lanton

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales and activity bookings: The tourist office manages billetterie (ticketing) for various activities and guided tours throughout the region. Revenue is generated through booking fees and commissions from activity providers.
2. Activity participation fees: Fees collected for participation in guided tours and workshops, such as the apiary visit at 9 euros full price and 5 euros reduced rate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon operates as the official public tourist office for the northern Arcachon Bay area, providing a unified information and booking platform. Its core offering is the curation, scheduling, and ticketing of guided tours and activities across five municipalities, along with accommodation directories, dining and local consumption information (including the PASS d'ici loyalty program), an event agenda, and practical visitor resources such as tide schedules, weather, and downloadable brochures.

Product overview

Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon is a regional tourism office offering a unified platform providing tourism information and services for the Arcachon Bay area. The core offering is an information portal organized around must-see attractions (les incontournables), guided tours and activities, accommodation listings, dining options, and event calendars. The tourism office coordinates approximately 48+ guided tours and activities ranging from nature adventures like L'aventure du pirate de Leyre and Le défi de l'étang sauvage to industrial visits like the Smurfit Westrock paper mill and agricultural experiences such as apiary tours. Additional services include practical visitor resources (tides, weather, maps), downloadable brochures and guides, ticketing for activities, and the PASS d'ici local loyalty program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Tours and Activities Catalog A catalog of approximately 48+ guided tours and activities including nature tours, adventure experiences, heritage visits, creative workshops, and family-friendly activities across the Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon territory. Designed for individual tourists, families, and organized groups visiting the northern Arcachon Bay area.
• Accommodation Directory Comprehensive directory of accommodation options including prestige residences, hotels, campings, motorhome areas, vacation rentals, motorhome rentals, guest rooms (chambres d'hôtes), vacation centers, and low-carbon stays across the Coeur du Bassin territory. Used by visitors planning overnight stays.
• Dining and Local Consumption Services Information and services related to restaurants, short circuits, oyster tasting at cabanes, picnic areas, fast food, themed and wine bars, market days, and the PASS d'ici local loyalty program promoting local consumption. Targeted at visitors seeking regional gastronomy.
• Event Calendar (Agenda) Dynamic agenda featuring local events, activities, and happenings throughout the region with filtering options by date and type, including an audio podcast version (Paroles d'Ici). Used by visitors to discover events during their stay.
• Online Ticketing (Billetterie) Online ticket sales platform for tours, activities, and events managed by the tourist office, with reservations available by phone or online. Tickets include paid guided tours (e.g., 9€ adult / 5€ child for apiary visits) and free registration-based tours (e.g., Smurfit Westrock factory visit).
• Practical Information Services Visitor resources including tide schedules, weather forecasts, maps, brochures, directions, and transportation options. Available online and at the physical office.
• Brochures and Guides Downloadable and mail-order guides including the Guide du Coeur du Bassin and tourist maps for trip planning.
• L'aventure du pirate de Leyre Family-friendly adventure guided tour tracing the story of the pirate of Leyre through games, discovery, and mystery at Le Port de Biganos. Targeted at families and children visiting the Coeur du Bassin region.
• Le défi de l'étang sauvage Family role-playing activity where participants protect Hugo the Heron's habitat and solve challenges to preserve a magical pond at Le Marais de Mesple, Audenge. Targeted at families and children.
• Smurfit Westrock Paper Mill Visit Free industrial guided tour of the Smurfit Westrock Cellulose du Pin paper mill in Biganos, one of Europe's largest paper production facilities (420-450 employees, 500,000 tonnes of kraft paper annually). Registration is required through the tourist office.
• Visite d'un rucher et sa miellerie Immersive guided visit of a family apiary in Marcheprime, operated by Jerome as the third generation of honey producers, including hive observation, honey extraction demonstration, beeswax candle workshop, and honey tasting. Pricing: 9€ adult (12+), 5€ child (5-11).

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Communauté de communes du Bassin d'Arcachon Nord (COBAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe COBAN (Community of Communes of the Northern Arcachon Basin) is a key local government partner that collaborates with the tourist office on regional development and tourism promotion for the territory.
• Parc naturel régional des Landes de GascognecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Regional Nature Park of Landes de Gascogne is a protected natural area partner that collaborates on nature-based tourism and environmental preservation initiatives in the region.
• Bassin d'Arcachon tourism networkmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional tourism network connecting various tourist offices around the Arcachon Basin for coordinated destination marketing and visitor services.
• Offices de Tourisme de FrancemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational federation of French tourist offices that provides network support, standards, and collective marketing for member offices.
• Commune of AudengecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the five communes served by the tourist office, hosting events and activities including the Estiv'Audenge summer program.
• Commune of BiganoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the five communes in the territory, home to the Smurfit Westrock paper mill offering industrial tourism visits.
• Commune of LantoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost commune of the tourist office headquarters, featuring sites including the ornithological reserve and Notre-Dame church.
• Commune of MarcheprimecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the five communes offering activities including apiary visits and escape games.
• Commune of MioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the five communes featuring Leyre river activities and nature-themed events.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Office de Tourisme du Pays Basque: Another Nouvelle-Aquitaine DMO operating as a public tourism organization with multilingual site, ticketing and curated tours. Comparable in public-DMO structure and product mix, but serves a different regional territory and does not directly compete with Coeur du Bassin visitors.
• Office de Tourisme de Lacanau: Atlantic-coast DMO in Gironde with similar surf/nature/family product mix and public DMO structure. Comparable in scale and seasonal coastal tourism profile, but serves a different coastal pocket.

Broad incumbents

• Visit Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Comité Régional du Tourisme): Regional tourism board that aggregates and promotes DMOs across Nouvelle-Aquitaine including Coeur du Bassin. Operates at a broader geographic scale but shares the public-DMO model, marketing mission and French-government oversight.
• Atout France: France's national tourism development agency, which accredits tourist offices and co-funds marketing for members like Coeur du Bassin. Not a commercial peer but the closest umbrella institution governing their quality standards and label certifications.
• Visit Scotland: National destination management organization combining destination marketing, booking and tour curation at a much larger scale. Comparable in mission (visitor information, tour/activity booking, eco/nature positioning) but operates at country scale rather than a five-commune territory.

Direct peers

• Office de Tourisme de Biscarrosse: Nearby coastal Landes DMO with a comparable catalog (nature, beach, lake activities, family tours) and similar small-team public-tourist-office profile. Highly comparable on product positioning and target visitor (French family/eco tourist) but geographically adjacent rather than overlapping.
• Office de Tourisme de Mimizan: Another small Gironde/Landes coastal DMO with nature, beach and family-tour catalog similar to Coeur du Bassin. Closest peer on size and product mix; comparable ticketing fees and seasonal coastal-traffic profile.
• Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux Métropole: Largest municipal tourist office in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, offering the same core mix of visitor information, online booking and guided tours; directly comparable in operating model, multilingual site, and ticketing platform, but serving an urban destination vs. Coeur du Bassin's nature/coastal positioning.
• Office de Tourisme du Bassin d'Arcachon Sud (SIBA): The sister DMO covering the southern shore of the Arcachon Basin (Arcachon, La Teste, Gujan-Mestras, etc.). It is the most direct geographic peer, sharing the same basin, overlapping attractions (oyster villages, Dune du Pilat) and operating under a similar public-tourist-office framework.

Others

• ADN Tourisme (Fédération Nationale des Offices de Tourisme): National federation of French tourist offices that provides shared standards, training and collective marketing. Comparable as a peer ecosystem player rather than a competitor; Coeur du Bassin is part of this network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DbYdW5XFYyJ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coeur-du-bassin-d-arcachon

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 Coeur du Bassin d'Arcachon