Lens Tourisme

What Lens Tourisme does

Lens Tourisme (legal name: Office de Tourisme de Lens-Liévin Hénin-Carvin) is a French public establishment (Établissement Public à vocation Industrielle et Commerciale, EPIC) that operates as the destination management organisation for the Lens-Liévin-Hénin-Carvin territory in the Hauts-de-France region. It promotes and facilitates visitor access to a territory distinguished by two UNESCO World Heritage designations: the Bassin minier (inscribed 2012) and the Sites mémoriels du Front Ouest de la Grande Guerre (inscribed 2023). The organisation runs three permanent visitor touchpoints in Lens city centre, the Louvre-Lens museum lobby, and the Mémorial'14-18 Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, plus two seasonal sites (Café Terrils du 11/19 and 9-9bis Oignies).

The company's offering centres on guided tours (UNESCO heritage, Art Deco, mining), outdoor activities (terril hiking, cycling, trail running), beer tourism experiences, dining partnerships (L'Atelier du Cerisier restaurant, cafeteria), retail (Souvenirs d'ici boutique with local artisans and a ressourcerie partnership), bike rentals, ticketing services, and themed weekend packages. Technology infrastructure is limited to a third-party-managed website (Koredge), Google Analytics tracking, and a YesWiFi hotspot — no proprietary platform or AI capabilities.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: ticket sales (guided tours at €4-€8/person, beer events at €15-€35), bike rentals (€3-€18), retail (souvenirs, local artisan products), ticket commissions on partner experiences, and ancillary fees. Customer segments span cultural/heritage tourists, experience-seekers, gastronomy/beer tourists, outdoor enthusiasts, families, and organised groups. Public-sector oversight and a 20-employee headcount constrain the operation's scale, with no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, and no private ownership.

Name

Lens Tourisme

Legal name

Office de Tourisme de Lens-Liévin Hénin-Carvin

Website

https://tourisme-lens.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lens Tourisme is the public destination management organisation for the Lens-Liévin-Hénin-Carvin territory in northern France, operating as an EPIC to promote UNESCO World Heritage sites including the Bassin minier and WWI memorials. It serves cultural, heritage, gastronomy, and outdoor tourists via guided tours, ticketing, retail, rentals, and information services across five physical touchpoints.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism and Destination Visitor Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (487110), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), 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), National Park & Protected Area Tours (THAJAIAA), Photography & Scenic Viewpoint Tours (THAJAAAI), River & Wetland Ecotours (Canoe/Kayak, Mangrove/Swamp Tours) (THAAAEAE)

Keywords

• Destination tourism services
• Guided heritage tours
• Visitor information points
• Cultural tourism marketing
• Bike rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lens

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Billetterie (Ticketing): Sale of tickets for guided tours, events, workshops, conferences, and leisure activities through the office de tourisme and online platform
2. Boutique (Souvenir Shop): Retail sale of souvenirs, local products, regional crafts, books, and local produce through physical boutiques and online ordering
3. Guided Tours and Activities: Revenue from organized visits, activities, and tourism experiences including Art Deco tours, mining heritage tours, and WWI memorial visits
4. Bike and Equipment Rental: Rental of city bikes and electric bikes to visitors for exploring the territory
5. Ressourcerie (Second-hand Items): Consignment partnership with Récup'Tri for sale of second-hand items, acting as intermediary on behalf of the partner

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lens Tourisme is the official destination management organization for the Lens-Liévin-Hénin-Carvin territory, selling guided heritage tours (UNESCO World Heritage sites on mining and WWI history, Art Deco architecture), outdoor activities (terrils hiking, cycling, trail running), brewery and gastronomy experiences, bike and e-bike rentals, ticketing for tours and events, the Souvenirs d'ici boutique of local artisan products, group excursion packages, and downloadable tourist brochures — both at physical welcome points (3 permanent, 2 seasonal) and via its online platform at tourisme-lens.fr.

Product overview

Lens Tourisme (Office de Tourisme de Lens-Liévin Hénin-Carvin) operates as a destination management and visitor services organisation rather than a software product company. Its offering is a unified regional tourism service centred on heritage, culture, and outdoor activities. The core products span: (1) Guided tours — the five UNESCO World Heritage 'essential visits' covering mining history (La mine autour du Louvre-Lens), the 9-9bis mining site, WWI sites at Notre-Dame de Lorette and Vimy Ridge, and Art Deco architecture; (2) Outdoor activities — hiking on the terrils jumeaux, the 300-ha Parc des Berges de la Souchez, cycling routes (véloroute du Bassin minier, 13 km), and trail running (Terre de Trail); (3) Culinary tourism — brewery visits at Brasserie Castelain's Spot museum and Brasserie Saint-Germain, plus beer-themed events (Beer Tour, Escape bière, Cyclo Beer Tour); (4) Dining — the gastronomic L'Atelier du Cerisier restaurant and La pause du Cerisier cafeteria at the Louvre-Lens; (5) Retail — the Souvenirs d'ici boutique selling local artisan products, regional food, and Hauts-de-France designer items, including a ressourcerie corner with Récup'Tri; (6) Rental services — city and electric bikes; (7) Ticketing — online and in-person sales of tickets for tours and events; (8) Publications — downloadable and printable tourist brochures and maps; (9) On-site visitor services — information points at the Louvre-Lens, the 9-9bis, and the Mémorial 14-18; and (10) Package itineraries — the '10 week-ends mémORables' brochure of themed weekend stays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided UNESCO World Heritage Tours (5 visites essentielles)

Quantifiable outcome

• Free entry to Louvre-Lens Galerie du Temps
• +2 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KoredgecoreTechnology or IntegrationKoredge manages and hosts the Office de Tourisme's website (tourisme-lens.fr). Located at rue du Bois de la Courbe, 25870 Châtillon-le-Duc. Responsible for website development and technical maintenance.
• Récup'TricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the ressourcerie (second-hand store) located at 4 rue Rudolph Diesel, Liévin. Operates consignment arrangement for second-hand items sold at the Office deTourisme boutique. Récup'Tri is an Atelier Chantier d'Insertion based in Aix-Noulette (62).
• Local Hauts-de-France CreatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership network with regional artisans including: Aequo (design studio), Au petit monde de B (cosmetics), Bag Two Life (bags from recycled textiles), Broken Art Mosaic (mosaics), Gueule noire (textiles), Charles Canon (luxury objects), La Fée Lulu (jewelry), Folle de bijoux (jewelry), Homabel (decor), Myriem Verhille (ceramics), and VESTALI (textile recycling).
• Brasserie CastelaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brasserie Castelain at Bénifontaine. The 'Le Spot' museum is a key tourism attraction for beer culture. Joint offerings include cyclo-beer tours and beer-related events.
• Brasserie Saint-Germain (Page 24)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brasserie Saint-Germain in Aix-Noulette. Joint promotion of brewery visits and tastings. Part of escape beer and beer tour offerings.
• CPIE-Chaine des TerrilsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuides Nature et Patrimoine Volontaires (GNPV) present at café-rando events on Sunday afternoons. Provide nature and heritage interpretation at outdoor sites.
• Chez Marcel (Noyelles-Godault and Arras)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner venue for Académie des Biérologues amateurs beer tasting events. Luka Antonic hosts educational beer appreciation sessions.
• Chez La poule et le renard (Courrières)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner venue for Académie des Biérologues amateurs beer tasting events. Emeline Lambert hosts educational sessions.
• La Ferme aux ChiconnettesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal farm partnership for artisanal products sold at the boutique. Located in Achiet-le-Petit, known for endive-based culinary products including confit de chicons.
• CRT Hauts-de-FranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism committee providing photo credits and marketing collaboration. Contributes to destination promotion materials.
• Pas-de-Calais TourismeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDepartmental tourism committee providing photo credits and marketing collaboration for regional destination promotion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Atout France: France's national tourism development agency. Operates at a far broader scale as the country's flagship DMO, providing the regulatory framework (e.g., the IMO62150004 register of travel operators) within which Lens Tourisme operates and shaping inbound demand to the territory.
• CRT Hauts-de-France (Comité Régional du Tourisme): Regional tourism committee that already partners with Lens Tourisme. Operates at a broader geographic scale, marketing the entire Hauts-de-France region and providing destination-wide strategic coordination that shapes Lens Tourisme's local positioning.

Emerging players

• GetYourGuide: Global online marketplace for tours, attractions, and experiences. A potential distribution and competitive layer for Lens Tourisme's guided tours, brewery visits, and themed experiences, with comparable product categories in the Lens territory already listed.

Regional players

• Visit Wallonia: DMO for the French-speaking Belgian region across the border. Comparable in product mix (mining heritage, WWI sites, brewery tourism, cycling) and competes for the same cross-border North-European heritage visitor.
• Office de Tourisme de Valenciennes: DMO for the Valenciennes area in the same Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin. Closely comparable heritage narrative (coal mining history) and similar product mix (industrial heritage interpretation, retail, ticketing), serving an overlapping regional market.

Direct peers

• Office de Tourisme de la Somme (Somme Tourism): DMO for the Somme department, the historic counterpart of the Lens territory for Western Front heritage. Strong overlap on WWI memorial product (Vimy, Pozières, Thiepval) and similar target audience of Commonwealth and Franco-Belgian heritage visitors.
• Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Lille: The principal DMO for the Lille metropolitan area, also in the Hauts-de-France region. Offers overlapping visitor services, ticketing, guided tours, and retail, and shares the same regional tourism committee (CRT Hauts-de-France) — making it the closest functional peer to Lens Tourisme.
• Office de Tourisme de Saint-Omer: DMO for the Saint-Omer area in Pas-de-Calais, close to Lens-Liévin-Hénin-Carvin. Operates a similar model combining heritage interpretation, ticketing, retail, and outdoor activities in a comparable northern-French post-industrial setting.
• Office de Tourisme de la Côte d'Opale: DMO for the Opal Coast in Pas-de-Calais, also in Hauts-de-France. Directly comparable as a regional French DMO offering ticketing, guided tours, bike rental, and themed weekend packages, and sharing the same departmental and regional tourism partners.
• Office de Tourisme d'Arras: Neighboring DMO in the Pas-de-Calais department covering Arras and its surrounding area. Comparable operating model (EPIC-style public tourism office) and overlapping product portfolio (heritage tours, WWII/Victorian heritage, gastronomy) targeting a similar visitor demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lenstourisme
• Facebookfacebook.com/LensTourisme
• Instagraminstagram.com/lenstourisme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lens-tourisme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Lens Tourisme