Les Bateaux Parisiens, leader in cruising boats
Faced with this historical actor, the Bateaux Parisiens company is the leader. Located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, it carries 3.4 million passengers, mainly groups, every year on board its ships and generates 58 million in turnover every year. Created in 1956, it has belonged to the Sodexo Group since 1987 and is the main competitor of the Bateaux-Mouches with a fleet of 8 boats and five restaurant boats.
Les Vedettes de Paris, smaller but strategically efficient
Among the operators competing for the Seine, there are also the Vedettes de Paris. Its niche is the smallest boats (250 places) but better filled and its clientele is mainly composed of individuals. General Manager Frédéric Avierinos explains "80% of our clientele is individual. This allows us to make a recipe higher than that of the big bateaux?: tour operators negotiate seats at 4 or 5 euros, when ours are at 13 euros" . Its fleet, composed of five boats, allows departures every fifteen minutes, from 10 am to 8 pm.
The question of home ports
Thanks to strong demand, competition is not too fierce since everyone benefits. However, within the ranks of the companies, there is an irritating subject concerning the home ports. "We assign sites for about ten years," explains David Dajczman. And adds"If the biggest companies easily renew their concession in the hypercentre, the competition is fierce for the few places created
For each home port, a tariff is fixed which differs according to the chosen place and the turnover achieved. Between the historic heart of Paris and the 12th arrondissement, there is a 10% disparity. Not forgetting the"toll" of Voies navigables de France (VNF) which is added to the final grade.
Innovating to overcome the crisis
With the economic crisis of recent years and the consequent decline in foreign tourism, companies have had to innovate to attract French customers. We address different segments by offering cruises for children or on the contrary for seniors. We offer dinners at attractive prices such as the Compagnie de la Seine which launched a menu at 39 ? and which popularizes this type of dinner.
For the Bateaux-Mouches, the price of the dinner varies between 55 and 145 ?. And these meal cruises represent 50% of the company's turnover.
