Aurélien Aufort: “The results of Travel Explorer are beyond our expectations”

We had the opportunity to meet Aurélien Aufort, CEO of Marietton Développement, in the Orchestra offices on Thursday November 14. On this occasion, Aurélien presented us with the technological challenges associated with the Travel Explorer solution. This digital platform allows travel agencies to carry out tailor-made trips and multi-destination itineraries. He also shared the first encouraging results of this ambitious project, as well as promising prospects for 2025.

Aurélien, you are the CEO of Marietton Development. Present within the group for twenty-two years, you have been managing the activities of tour operators in Marietton for seven years, with a particular focus on Héliades and Voyamar, the two historical entities of the group. What are the current technological challenges?

Aurélien Aufort: Our goal is to strengthen our technological capabilities both in the back office and in distribution, because these aspects are now crucial for tour operators. Historically, we have fallen a bit behind schedule in this area. The collaboration with Orchestra allows us to take ownership of our back office on the one hand and to take advantage of Travel Compositor's technology within the Travelsoft group on the other hand (the implementation of the Travel Compositor platform within the Marietton group is called Travel Explorer).

At Marietton, the challenge is to standardize our multiple structures, resulting from the numerous acquisitions made by the group. Each unit currently uses different systems, which creates problems in terms of interconnectivity and resource sharing. In order to remedy this situation, we will soon be implementing a common back office, front office and mid-office. The aim is clear: to have a single and efficient software suite, especially with Travel Explorer.

Why did you create a joint venture with Orchestra?

A. A.: The creation of this joint venture with Orchestra was born out of a shared reflection with Christian Sabbagh (Founder and President of Orchestra) on back-office issues in particular. The technological challenges linking our two groups were such that it seemed essential to strengthen our collaboration.

We had two options: develop our own technology in-house or partner with an experienced player, but we quickly rejected the idea of developing a solution ourselves. This is not our core business and we knew it would require a significant investment in terms of both resources and time. With the technological backlog we had accumulated, it was impossible to develop a back office by 2025.

What is the genesis of Travel Explorer, the à la carte booking platform?

A. A.: Travel Explorer was born out of a need identified within travel agencies. In France, there is a growing demand for a la carte, turnkey product offerings. In addition, with the rapid growth of the Marietton Group, we reached a critical point where technology became essential to enable our travel agents to offer à la carte solutions and multi-destination itineraries. With more than 430 agencies to manage, it was imperative that we fill a gap among traditional tour operators: to offer a connected solution for à la carte travel.

Today, this solution works well for a large number of destinations, but there are still around 20% of countries where the connection to the offer is not optimal. The long-term goal is to cover 100% of destinations.

What destinations are the most successful?

A. A.: The destinations that work best are New York and European capitals. This illustrates the fact that, for the time being, we value a technological platform more than a real travel experience. We are still very focused on short stays at the expense of more distant destinations, which probably require more user trust.

Can Travel Explorer become a central solution?

A. A.: Today, Travel Compositor is not integrated into a B2B2C model like Orchestra's. For example, when we add a product to Travel Compositor, it does not automatically appear in the system of a brand such as Leclerc Voyages, which makes production management more difficult. We are actively working to integrate these elements. Once this chain is fully operational, it will be a new major step.

Are you interested in other Travelsoft Group solutions?

A.A.: Absolutely. To facilitate these developments, we have, for example, validated the integration of Travelsoft Pay, the Travelsoft Group's online payment system, which will be operational in December. We are also closely monitoring the development of TravelGatex, another Travelsoft Group platform, also based in Palma de Mallorca, which offers a B2B hotel aggregation solution and is expected to become a strategic hub for our operations.

Is Travel Explorer deployed on all your tour operators?

A. A.: Travel Explorer is currently fully operational on Héliades and Voyamar. From the beginning of 2025, Austral Lagon and Jetset Voyages will also benefit from this platform, which allows you to create a tailor-made trip around the world in just a few clicks. It will provide access to a wide range of accommodation (hotels, villas or apartments), multimodal transport, car hire, transfers, excursions and other experiences. This launch is an important step towards harmonising the technological tools used by our various tour operators.

How are the teams structured around Travel Explorer?

A. A.: To ensure that Travel Explorer runs smoothly, we have set up a dedicated structure. It is based on three pillars: a technical team of two people in charge of setting up and managing the functionality of the solution; a sales team in charge of promoting the solution to travel agencies; and finally, a reservation and production team. The objective is clear: to ensure rigorous monitoring, generate ideas, adapt management and optimise performance in line with market expectations.

What is your assessment of the launch of Travel Explorer?

A. A.: Launched in February, Travel Explorer has been rolled out to all the Group's agencies and the main networks. A sales team of around ten people travels the world to promote our à la carte travel platform. We have also worked with a communications agency to develop the brand, with strong actions such as the "World Tour" challenge organised at IFTM.

The results have exceeded our expectations: 30 million euros of business in the first year, whereas I did not expect this level until the second year. This proves that the platform is well designed and meets a real demand.

From a technological point of view, it has no equivalent, but its functional richness can be an obstacle to its use: it requires control, which can be a hindrance to agencies looking for simple solutions. So we need to simplify the solution and train users at the same time.

What are the main challenges?

A. A.: Now we need to move into a consolidation phase. The aim is for agencies to have total confidence in Travel Explorer. Although the first phase, which consisted of connecting all the basic functionalities, was a success, developments such as tours and cruises are being implemented. We will also introduce more in-house production to enrich the offer. The bookings made are rich in services, which implies a significant operational follow-up.

What is the next step?

A. A: Beyond the technology platform itself, Travel Explorer must truly embody the travel agent experience. Travel agents should not feel that they are simply using technology, but that they are booking a complex trip with all the expertise and support that goes with it.

With this in mind, we immediately integrated a concierge service at the destination to manage and anticipate potential problems for travellers. We are also actively working to improve our inventory. For example, we have decided to limit hotels that have a rating of less than 7 out of 10 on TripAdvisor, while highlighting the products that we believe are most relevant. This ensures an optimal customer experience and positions Travel Explorer as a truly differentiated solution.

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Do you use artificial intelligence (AI)?

A. A: Yes, we use AI, especially to write descriptions and improve our productivity. However, we still need a clear framework to maximise its effectiveness: keywords, standard phrases and best practices to adopt. Once these elements are in place, we will be able to better brief our agencies to maximise the potential of AI.

What are the commercial challenges for Héliades and Voyamar in 2025?

A. A: Our objective for 2025 is to double the turnover generated by Travel Explorer to more than 60 million euros. It should be remembered that we started in February 2024, with a real boost from April onwards. The target is therefore realistic, especially with an evolving solution and a well mobilised commercial network. For our tour operators, we are targeting 15% growth in turnover. The fundamentals are good, but our sector is always exposed to risks, be they economic, climatic or geopolitical crises, or problems in the aviation industry. Change management within the agencies must also continue.