The Tangwall Campagin. Since the recent geopolitical crises, the war in Ukraine or the tensions in the Middle East, have you observed a lasting restructuring of tourist destinations?
Laura Martinez. If the war in Ukraine no longer has a major impact on travelers, on the other hand, the conflict in Iran caused a temporary shutdown of the tourism industry in the area concerned, from March to May, with direct economic repercussions. Crises shift flows towards destinations perceived as safe and secure.
“ Our added value lies in the time spent with the customer »
From now on, travelers arbitrate more. It is clear that tailor-made travel is much more affected than business travel, since these are family or individual trips, which have a strong emotional dimension. Companies continue to have their employees travel, even if, of course, they do not take any risks for them.
Which areas are suffering today and which are benefiting from a strong transfer of customers?
The Middle East has of course been very heavily affected and, to some extent, Asia too, as a large majority of flights going there pass through Middle Eastern air hubs, such as Doha or Dubai. This last destination, which welcomed nearly 20 million visitors last year, is slowing down. Everyone remembers the bombing videos. There is still a lot of apprehension about transiting through this area, even though flights have been completely reopened.
“The average annual budget for traveling to France is around 2,000 euros”
Conversely, Africa recorded an increase of 4% in tourists for the first quarter of 2026. Japan remains an attractive destination, particularly French tourists, with 60,000 entries, an increase of 10% since January. Canada and South America remain stable. For Asia, bookings are starting to pick up for 2027.
In a context of inflation and falling purchasing power, how are travelers’ behaviors changing?
What I observe is a very clear polarization of consumption. The Orchestra barometer highlighted a clear drop between March and May, strong by 20%, concerning so-called entry-level travel proposals. Travelers with tighter budgets are much more affected by inflation and the increase in plane tickets, hence the development of low-budget “slow tourism” in parallel, with a desire to travel differently.
You should know that the average annual budget for traveling to France is around 2,000 euros. CSP+ often invest between 4,000 and 8,000 euros per year. For travelers looking for something tailor-made and exceptional, budgets can far exceed 10,000 euros per trip. Our average basket is in this high range, and our customers are always ready to unlock this envelope for their vacations. The gap is huge, and it clearly illustrates the disparity in the market.
You are lying to those who predict the end of travel agencies: you have increased Amplitudes’ business volume from 95 million euros in 2019 to 170 million in 2025. Has moving upmarket become essential to remain profitable?
I cut my teeth in the world of luxury, and by returning to support my father, I was certain that luxury applied to the travel sector could constitute a market opportunity. Concretely, this involves a very strict selection of hotels: we make our service providers sign quality charters on guides, vehicles, group sizes. Boats that offer 40 places on board, for example, will never be included in our offer. We are also very attentive to so-called responsible tourism, which is required: no animal abuse, well-paid guides.
” LAI today knows how to build a route, and it is increasingly relevant »
Our challenge is to offer a quality of service that is fully consistent with the standard of living of our customers. Our added value also lies in the time spent with the customer, sometimes an hour on the phone, in order to fully understand their expectations. I have in mind the organization of a trip to South Africa, for the 50th birthday of a client’s wife. We took charge of the entire organization in order to ensure the travel of each invited friend, around the world, then one of the gifts: the flight over Table Mountain by helicopter. And our formula works since we are targeting a business volume of 210 million by the end of 2026.
At a time when AI makes it possible to organize a trip in just a few minutes, how do you justify your added value?
AI is first and foremost an ally! It helps us to be better referenced, in particular via requests on ChatGPT. This is a good signal for us. But to be honest, yes, AI today knows how to build a route, and it is more and more relevant. We decided to embrace it, not endure it. We have invested in an innovation department with a 100% dedicated team for a year, and we have integrated automatic transcription of all calls from our travel advisors to save them time.
“In the corporate travel segment, France remains the top destination for our professional customers”
We are aware of the limits of AI. Our personalization, which provides our added value and justifies our prices, is based on the relevance of our experts, who visit the destinations themselves, know the guides, discover new addresses and note them down. Another major point: at the moment, an AI cannot handle unforeseen events. During the crisis in the Middle East, we were fully responsible and we worked hard to repatriate all our customers at zero cost; no artificial intelligence is capable of doing this!
Is France today an attractive destination for business travel?
In the corporate travel segment, France remains the first destination for our professional customers, the majority of their trips taking place within the national territory, and in the “cleanest” way possible. When a traveler requests a plane ticket, a relevant rail alternative is automatically offered to them with the CO2 emissions differential and the cost difference to support it. On the other hand, in the high-end and tailor-made individual travel segment, we practically do not market the France destination. French service providers, in particular hoteliers, are uncooperative with French agencies on the question of commissions and favor our American colleagues.
