Region of Fribourg

What Region of Fribourg does

Region of Fribourg is a Swiss destination marketing organization (DMO) operating as a public-private partnership to promote the Canton of Fribourg as a tourist destination and territorial brand. The entity comprises two legal structures: Association Fribourgissima (founded 2013), which owns and manages the 'Fribourg, Land of Values' brand, and the Union fribourgeoise du Tourisme (UFT), the operational tourist board that handles secretariat functions since December 2025. The organization serves leisure travelers, families, gastronomy enthusiasts, and outdoor tourists across seven regional clusters (La Gruyère, Fribourg/Sarine, Estavayer-le-Lac, Murtensee, Schwarzsee-Senseland, Romont, Les Paccots) through a coordinated network of regional tourist offices.

The core product is the fribourg.ch platform — a multi-partner WordPress CMS website with over 20,000 pages — supported by integrated analytics (Google Analytics, Hotjar, fusedeck event tracking) and social media tracking pixels. Operational outputs include the 'Be my Guest' guest card, Fribourg City Card, a mobile app, and curated experiences such as the D'Grandfey solar-powered boat. In March 2026, Fribourgissima launched the 'Valeurs de Fribourg' label, certifying 20 enterprises in its pilot phase to extend the territorial brand into B2B applications.

The revenue model is non-commercial and largely funded through three streams: cantonal stay taxes (taxe de séjour) administered via the CheckIn-FR platform, annual membership contributions from four economic pillars (BCF, ECAB, Groupe E, TPF) plus tourism organizations, chambers of commerce, employer federations, and the Ville de Fribourg, and implicit public sector underwriting via the State of Fribourg. Pricing is regulated by cantonal ordinance. No revenue or operating budget is publicly disclosed, and the organization holds sustainability certifications including Swisstainable Level II and Carbon FRI (2021, 2022, 2025).

Name

Region of Fribourg

Legal name

Association Fribourgissima

Website

https://estavayerlelac.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Region of Fribourg is a Swiss destination marketing organization that promotes the Canton of Fribourg through the fribourg.ch platform, eight regional tourist offices, the 'Fribourg, Land of Values' territorial brand, and the 'Valeurs de Fribourg' enterprise label, serving leisure tourists, families, and culinary and outdoor enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Promotion Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Regional tourism promotion
• Destination marketing organization
• Tourism information services
• Travel accommodation booking
• Territorial brand management

Headquarters

HQ city

Fribourg

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Stay Tax (Taxe de sejour): The canton collects stay taxes from overnight visitors, with tariffs per night and package deals regulated by cantonal ordinance. This is administered through the CheckIn-FR platform.
2. Membership contributions: Fribourgissima operates through public-private partnership with annual membership contributions from economic pillars (BCF, ECAB, Groupe E, TPF), tourism organizations, chambers of commerce, employer federations, hospitality associations, and the Ville de Fribourg.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Region of Fribourg is a public-private tourism partnership that promotes the Canton of Fribourg as a destination across seven sub-regions (La Gruyère, Fribourg/Sarine, Estavayer-le-Lac, Region Murtensee, Schwarzsee-Senseland, Romont, and Les Paccots–La Veveyse). It operates the central fribourg.ch tourism portal with accommodation listings, activity booking, event calendars, restaurant recommendations, and a guest card program. Through Association Fribourgissima it also manages the territorial 'Fribourg' brand and the 'Valeurs de Fribourg' business labelling program.

Product overview

Region of Fribourg operates a comprehensive tourism promotion platform comprising multiple sub-regional tourism portals (La Gruyère, Fribourg/Sarine, Murten, Schwarzsee-Senseland, Estavayer-le-Lac, Romont, Les Paccots), event management systems, accommodation booking integration with Booking.com, restaurant and activity listings, and specialty services including the D'Grandfey solar-powered boat cruise and Fribourg City Card for soft mobility. The ecosystem also includes Fribourgissima, the brand management association overseeing the territorial brand 'Fribourg, Terre de valeurs' and the 'Valeurs de Fribourg' label for businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Region of Fribourg Tourism Platform
• D'Grandfey Solar-Powered Boat
• Fribourg City Card
• Be my Guest Guest Card
• Fribourgissima Brand Platform
• CheckIn-FR Stay Tax Platform

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Banque Cantonale de Fribourg (BCF)coreOthers · 1 January 2013One of four economic pillars in the Fribourgissima public-private partnership, contributing to the image promotion of the canton of Fribourg.
• Etablissement cantonal d'assurance des batiments (ECAB)coreOthersCantonal building insurance establishment, one of four economic pillars in the Fribourgissima partnership for image promotion.
• Groupe EcoreOthersEnergy company, one of four economic pillars supporting the Fribourgissima partnership and cantonal image promotion.
• Transports publics fribourgeois (TPF)coreOthersPublic transport operator, economic pillar member of Fribourgissima supporting sustainable mobility and tourism access.
• Union fribourgeoise du Tourisme (UFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFribourg Tourist Board, manages Fribourgissima's secretariat and brand promotion activities. Director Pierre-Alain Morard leads the UFT.
• Association Terroir FribourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation promoting local gastronomic products and culinary heritage including Cuchaule AOP, cheeses, and regional specialties.
• Chambre de commerce et d'industrie du Canton de Fribourg (CCIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of Commerce, represented by President Claude Gremion as Vice-President of Fribourgissima.
• Federation Patronale et Economique (FPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer federation member contributing to economic voice in Fribourgissima partnership.
• Union Patronale du Canton de Fribourg (UPCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployers union member supporting business community engagement in cantonal image promotion.
• GastroFribourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospitality association representing restaurants and hotels, supporting culinary tourism promotion.
• Association Fribourgeoise des HotlierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHotel association member contributing to accommodation sector representation in the partnership.
• Ville de FribourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Fribourg, represented in Fribourgissima committee through Secretary David Stulz.
• Etat de Fribourg (State of Fribourg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government represented by State Councilor Didier Castella as President of Fribourgissima, and Chancellor Danielle Gagnaux-Morel as Committee Chair.
• Booking.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline accommodation reservation platform integrated with regional tourism websites for real-time booking.
• Switzerland Tourism (Swisstainable)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational tourism organization running SWISSTAINABLE program. UFT and Fribourg Tourism achieved Level II certification through this partnership.
• Fribourg Bike Friendly AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation promoting cycling and mountain biking tourism. Created network for cycling routes and infrastructure, improving services for cyclists.
• Swiss Fairy Tale associationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwards organization that held Swiss Fairy Tale Prize 2024 ceremony at Chateau de Gruyeres.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Switzerland Tourism: The national tourism organization for Switzerland, directly comparable to Fribourg's cantonal DMO. Operates the national 'Swisstainable' program under which UFT and Fribourg Tourism achieved Level II certification, and is a strategic partner that channels international demand to regional destinations.
• Visit Iceland: National destination marketing organization. While national rather than regional, it is a benchmark for the DMO model — destination portal, multi-channel social, sustainability framing, and ambassador-style marketing — that regional Swiss DMOs like Fribourg emulate and partner with.

Direct peers

• Zürich Tourism: Cantonal/city tourism board for Zürich offering a directly comparable product: guest card program, multilingual tourism portal, event marketing, and accommodation booking integrations. Both operate as destination marketing organizations under the Switzerland Tourism umbrella.
• Luzern Tourismus: Tourism board for the Luzern region operating a destination marketing model with multiple sub-regional offices, accommodation booking, and event marketing — structurally comparable to the Fribourg/UFT multi-partner ecosystem.
• Visit Wallis / Valais/Wallis Tourism: Canton-level tourism marketing that combines alpine, urban, and lake experiences under a unified brand. Comparable to Fribourg's 'Lake, city, mountains' positioning and its multi-association partnership governance.
• Vaud Promotion: Canton-level tourism and economic promotion entity for Vaud. Closest geographic neighbor and most direct French-speaking Swiss competitor for leisure tourism, culinary tourism, and lake experiences, with similar public-private governance.
• Ticino Turismo: Tourism promotion for the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. Comparable in operating a multilingual destination portal, regional sub-DMO network, and leveraging culinary heritage and outdoor activities as core marketing pillars.
• Graubünden Ferien: Tourism marketing organization for the canton of Graubünden with a multi-regional structure (mountain destinations, lakes, city). Highly comparable to Fribourg's combined lake-city-mountain positioning and Swiss-wide destination marketing model.
• Bern Welcome: Tourism and convention marketing organization for the Bern region. Comparable bilingual positioning, multi-partner tourism network, and mix of city + countryside tourism products served through a centralized digital platform.

Regional players

• Engadin Tourismus: Regional tourism organization for the Engadin valley in Graubünden. Comparable in operating a multi-season destination brand, multi-language site, and integrating sustainability (Swisstainable) messaging, although it serves a distinct alpine geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQuozUDP3tMZSgo5HRQAc9g
• Facebookfacebook.com/FribourgCHFR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/estavayer-le-lac-region
• Instagraminstagram.com/fribourgch
• TikToktiktok.com/@fribourgch
• Pinterestpinterest.ch/fribourgch

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Region of Fribourg