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Summary of our market study
The French ecotourism market is estimated at over €2 billion.
In France, ecotourism and related concepts are well known, with 75% of the population having heard of them.
The French ecotourism market represents only 1% of the country's total tourism sector.
Market segmentation shows a variety of players, from associations such as ATR and ATES to tour operators.
The ATR label is the benchmark for sustainable practices in the tourism sector, and commits its members to achieving specific targets for offsetting CO2 emissions by 2025.
Ecotourism market trends in France
between 80% and 85% of the French population is familiar with at least one term related to responsible tourism, with ecotourism being the most widely recognized.
Awareness is higher among people with more than two years' education, and in higher socio-professional categories.
Only one French person in five claims to have embarked on a "responsible trip".
More than half of French people believe that ecotourism is more expensive than conventional tourism.
The French population shows a clear penchant for eco-friendly accommodation, such as sustainable energy residences or B&Bs, with camping being the least popular.
The ideal locations for such trips are the countryside, followed at a distance by mountains and isolated islands.
The French market also shows an interest in local culture and tasting local cuisine as part of their ecotourism experience.
Specialized tour operators are the main players in ecotourism.
Some ecotourism players
Ecotourism associations and organizations
- - ATR (Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable): A pioneering association created in 2004, ATR brings together a variety of players in the French ecotourism market, from tour operators to creators of tailor-made trips.
- - ATES (Association pour le Tourisme Equitable et Solidaire): develops a similar vision, but places greater emphasis on the social dimensions of tourism.
Tour operators: Conscientious curators of travel
- - Voyageurs du Monde: Renowned for its tailor-made travel experiences
- - Terres des Andes: another high-end operator specializing in the integration of cultural immersion and ecological travel.
- - Double Sens: Positioned in a more accessible price range
- - Passion Terre: Offers a wide range of travel experiences.
- - Chamina Voyages: Mid-range operator
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Summary and extracts
1 Market summary
1.1 Market definition
The tourism sector alone is responsible for 11% of France's greenhouse gas emissions.
Historically, tourism began as a cultural practice before becoming a mass phenomenon with major economic implications. In the 18th century, the "Grand Tour" was the initiatory year-long journey across Europe by young British aristocrats. Tourism as we know it emerged in the 19th century. In the 1840s, Thomas Cook created organized tours of Britain. Thanks to innovations in means of transport, these trips exploded and became a habit for Europeans, and hence for the French.
The term "ecotourism" was introduced by Hector Ceballos-Lascurain in 1983 to describe nature-based travel in preserved areas, with an emphasis on education. Since then, the concept has evolved to include principles of sustainability and community involvement. It was in 1992 that the International Ecotourism Society defined it as "a form of responsible travel in natural areas that contributes to the protection of the environment and the well-being of local populations."
Ecotourism is part of the category of responsible tourism, which includes the following terms:
- ecotourism
- Responsible tourism
- Fair tourism
- Solidarity tourism
- Ethical tourism
- Sustainable tourism
Ecotourism is a sustainable response to mass tourism, which continues to develop without realizing the risks it represents for the environment. Ecotourism encompasses a number of concepts and offers a wide variety of services: eco-responsible tourist activities, responsible accommodation (eco-hotels, eco-lodges, eco-villages), thoughtful travel, etc.
In France, this type of eco-friendly tourism has been supported by the Association française d'écotourisme since 2005 and the Association des voyageurs et tour-opérateurs écoresponsables since 2007. Ecotourism is gradually becoming a real social phenomenon, and is no longer the preserve of environmental activists or those with a keen awareness of the issue.
As the world's leading tourist destination, with 98 million arrivals in France by 2023, France's ecotourism potential is not negligible: france's main ecotourism regions include the Causses du Quercy nature park in the Midi-Pyrénées region, the Tarentaise valley in the Rhône-Alpes region and the Côte de Granit rose in Brittany.
Although steadily increasing in recent years, ecotourism still represents only a small fraction of the French tourism market, and faces challenges such as the reluctance of some French people to switch to this type of tourism.akes to switch to this type of tourism due to the higher prices offered by traditional alternatives, but also to the resurgence of climate sceptics in France(11% of French people in 2023 according to an IPSOS poll).
However, eco-tourism can benefit from the legitimacy of green labels (Clean Ports, Green Key) and emerging trends such as carbon offsetting and quotas in natural areas, coupled with a diversification of the offer.
1.2 The booming global market
International tourism is a key sector of the global economy. According to the UNWTO (***), revenues from international tourism will reach nearly US$*,*** billion by ****.
In recent years, the travel sector has undergone profound changes. In the face of mass tourism, more and more players are committing themselves to sustainable practices, which ...
1.3 A small but growing French market
Despite its promising potential for the industry, ecotourism currently represents just*% of the tourism market in France. Yet, according to a **** Harris Interactive study, it appears that **% of French people have expressed their desire to travel sustainably. However, to transform tourism and make it more responsible, it is essential to mobilize ...
1.4 The carbon footprint of tourist travel
The carbon footprint of travel is a major issue that raises growing concerns about sustainability, as travel, particularly by air and by car, generates significant greenhouse gas emissions. In a context where tourism is booming, it is becoming essential to assess and reduce these impacts to preserve our planet.
Below, we ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Awareness of the need to move towards more sustainable tourism
Awareness of the need for more sustainable tourism is growing in France. This is driven in particular by a growing awarenessof environmental issues and the ecological cause in general.
A large majority of French people - nearly **%, according to the graph below - say they are concerned by the ecological cause. ...
2.2 Sociological analysis
Climate skeptics, who minimize or reject the effects of climate change in France, still represent a certain proportion of the population.
From the graph below, we can try to describe their sociological portraits. This profile is important to understand in the context of the ecotourism market, as it can slow down ...
2.3 Means of transport and ecotourism
In recent years, faced with this growing awareness of the need for more sustainable tourism, the French have modified their travel habits to reduce their environmental impact, and this change is reflected in their choice of modes of transport.
According to the graph below, the car remains the majority for travel, ...
2.4 French people looking for longer stays
In addition to the desire to make their modes of transport more sustainable, the French are also turning to more sustainable housing and activities.
This can be seen in the graph below. Indeed, holidaymakers' motivations increasingly include the search for authentic, environmentally-friendly experiences. They want to relax and discover landscapes and ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Eco-tourism value chain and players
The following diagram shows the ecotourism value chain in France.
Source: ****
The players and their roles
A large number of players are involved in delivering a suitable service to tourists. For the ecotourism market, we find public, private, individual and even associative players:
Governments and regulators: Governments and regulators have an ...
3.2 Ecotourism associations
With the newness of ecotourism, it's very important that there are associations that can help people understand what ecotourism is, and then help them differentiate between establishments that offer ecotourism-related services and those that don't. We've also been working with a number of associations to help people understand what ecotourism is.cotourism, ...
3.3 Sustainability labels
Green labels play a key role in guiding travelers towards environmentally-friendly choices.
In fact, according to the graph below, for **% of French people, green labels are differentiating criteria in their choice of service providers.
The different labels [***]
Choosing a sustainable destination
Station Verte (***): This label is awarded to areas that offer ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Offer typology
Tour operators specializing in ecotourism play a crucial role in offering trips that respect the environment, promote sustainable practices and support local communities, while enabling travelers to discover unique destinations.
4.2 Offer pricing
Here are the different tour operator pricings:
However, these prices can vary enormously depending on the length of the trip and the destination, with some tour operators offering packages as high as €*,***.
Price is often an obstacle for travelers seeking to adopt ecological practices, as sustainable offers are sometimes more expensive ...
4.3 Supply trends
Ecotourism in France is increasingly moving towards eco-responsible practices carried out by a variety of players.
These initiatives come from all players :
GreenGo: launched in ****, the company aims to offer more sustainable tourism on French territory and presents itself as an alternative to other tourist accommodation search platforms. GreenGo offers **,*** accommodations ...
5 Rules and regulations
5.1 Regulations
Regulations for establishments open to the public
Welcoming the public to your premises requires compliance with a number of rules, particularly in terms of safety, fire-fighting and accessibility, which at first glance may seem daunting. These rules are known as ERP (***) regulations.
Any building open to the public is thus defined ...
5.2 The ATR label
The "Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable" label was set up by AFNOR (***), which requires "independence, competence and impartiality". The label's first criterion is transparency, the second concerns partnerships, and the third relates to the consistency between what is offered to customers and what happens in-house.
Since ****, the ATR label has brought ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Voyageurs du Monde Groupe
- ATR (Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable)
- ATES (Association pour le Tourisme Equitable et Solidaire)
- Terres d’Aventure
- Chamina Voyages
- Double Sens
- Terres des Andes
- Passion Terre
- Terres Nomades
- Voyager Autrement
- FairMoove
- Cap France
- Alentour
- Nicols Yacht
- CroisiEurope
- Batorama
List of charts presented in this market study
- Do you feel concerned by the ecological cause in general?
- Top 5 factors that most influence French vacation decisions
- Today, would you say that you have adopted a more ecologically responsible vacation than before?
- Ten years from now, do you think you'll be taking more environmentally responsible vacations?
- When you go on vacation, do you try to reconcile tourism and ecology?
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Latest news
Voyageurs du Monde takes on Europe's cycle routes - 25/06/2024
- - Total sales of the group amounted to over 693 million euros in 2023, up 39.5%
- - The group employs 1,800 people.
- - Purchase of Eurofun, an Austrian company specializing in bicycle travel, with sales of 100 million euros.
- - Randovélo, another group entity based in Blois, has sales of 5 million euros.
- - Cycle tourism accounts for 37% of the group's customers and 17% of its sales.
- - A week's bike touring is priced at between 1,000 and 1,200 euros per person.
Nicols goes green with its charter fleet - 15/04/2024
- Nicols is converting the 27 boats at its Alsace nautical base to HVO, a biodegradable fuel.
- - The switch to HVO is expected to reduce CO2, nitrogen oxide and fine particle emissions by up to 92%.
- - Diesel consumption by Nicols' speedboats accounts for around 25% of the company's total CO2 emissions.
- - The company operates 25 bases in Europe, located in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Portugal and Ireland.
- - Nicols has announced business growth of 15% for 2023 compared with the reference year 2019, compared with 12% in 2022.
- - The company employs 56 people.
- - After its takeover by Locaboat at the end of 2022, the Nicols-Locaboat group will post cumulative sales of 27 million euros for 120 employees.
Riverboats: a year after its takeover, Nicols is still growing - 26/10/2023
- Growth in Nicols' riverboat rental business: 12% in the current season compared with 2019.
- Level of Nicols' activity in riverboat rentals: around 8 million euros.
- Company sales in 2021: 10.5 million euros.
- Sales in 2020: 9.7 million euros.
- Company sales in 2019: 13 million euros.
- Number of boats built by Nicols per year: around 15.
- Total number of boats built at the Nicols shipyard in Cholet since its creation in 1986: 657.
- Number of yachts sailing from 25 bases: 300.
- Number of Nicols employees: 56, including 25 at the Cholet shipyard.
Responsible tourism: FairMoove aims for top spot - 20/09/2023
- FairMoove plans to acquire Betterfly Tourism and Double Sens for a total of 5.6 million euros.
- Double Sens currently generates sales of 2 million euros, but is expected to generate 30 million euros over the next few years
- . FairMoove expects to be profitable as early as next year.
- FairMoove is targeting sales of 15 million euros.
Voyageurs du Monde: strong recovery in 2022, continuing into 2023 - 19/04/2023
- Sales in 2022: 497.3 million euros
- Sales growth in 2022 compared with 2019: 2%
- International sales in 2022: 32% of total sales
- Net income in 2022: 29.9 million euros
- Loss in 2021: 0.3 million euros
- Profit in 2019: 20.3 million euros
Lionel Habasque gets Terres d'Aventure up and running - 27/03/2023
- With fifteen brands - including Terres d'Aventure, Comptoir des Voyages, Nomade Aventure and Allibert Trekking - the group employs 1,500 people, with sales of 430 million euros in 2022
- - 487 million euros in sales before the pandemic
- - Terre d'Aventure - 24% growth rate - 160 employees
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the ecotourism market | France
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