What do the Cristallerie de Saint-Louis, the Taittinger cellars or the Marémorte de la Rance in common? These sites welcome visitors curious to discover their heritage and their operation. Business visits are experiencing remarkable boom in France, carried by an increasing enthusiasm for know-howindustrial transparency and experiential tourism. Each year, more than 20 million visitors cross the doors of workshops, production sites or emblematic houses, according to the association Company & Discovery.
On the business side, opening its doors allows you to enhance your image and retain customer. Direct contact with visitors humanized production and highlights the often unknown technical trades. EDF has understood this: the company offers the visit of its nuclear, hydroelectric power plants, and even its wind farms. EDF is pleased to be the most visited company in France, according to data from the National Observatory for the Business Visit. Its various sites received 500,000 visitors in 2024.
A marketing showcase
Behind this dynamic hides a real economic lever, especially for rural or industrial territories. At the local level, these visits generate benefits for accommodation, catering or even transport. Companies that welcome the public develop an additional source of income (ticketing, shops in store, catering), and gain visibility thanks to this marketing showcase. The Cité du Chocolat Valrhona welcomes, for example, more than 120,000 visitors per year, some of which did not know the brand, popular with professionals.
The State and the communities support this movement, through labels as a “company of living heritage”, aid for industrial tourism and national events such as the days of the business visit. Haliotika – The City of Fisheries was co -financed by the European Union, the commune of Guilvinec, the Department of Finistère and the Brittany region. It welcomed more than 65,000 visitors last year.
Cherbourg umbrella, paper mill in Auvergne, mustard in Burgundy, brewery in Alsace… Discover in pictures the companies to visit near you or your vacation place.