Founder of the online travel agency Yacaranda, Camille Obeida, a young woman in her thirties, laments that responsible tourism still often seems hard to reconcile with the world of luxury or premium travel.
i[“High-end travellers are increasingly seeking experiences that combine excellence, meaning, authenticity, intimacy, environmental and social responsibility]b, she asserts. b[But, they sometimes find it difficult to locate them”]i.
“In the tourism sector, these evolving expectations and changes in practices are taking on greater importance”, insists Camille Obeida. These concerns resonate with World Tourism Day on June 2.
Her outlook has not prevented Camille from thinking business. From the very start of her finance studies at Paris-Dauphine University, she wanted to work in the travel world. And she dreamed of starting her own company.
Her stay in South Korea, then later, in a beautiful hotel in Bora Bora, French Polynesia, and a stint at Accor, only strengthened her resolve.
i[“High-end travellers are increasingly seeking experiences that combine excellence, meaning, authenticity, intimacy, environmental and social responsibility]b, she asserts. b[But, they sometimes find it difficult to locate them”]i.
“In the tourism sector, these evolving expectations and changes in practices are taking on greater importance”, insists Camille Obeida. These concerns resonate with World Tourism Day on June 2.
Her outlook has not prevented Camille from thinking business. From the very start of her finance studies at Paris-Dauphine University, she wanted to work in the travel world. And she dreamed of starting her own company.
Her stay in South Korea, then later, in a beautiful hotel in Bora Bora, French Polynesia, and a stint at Accor, only strengthened her resolve.
Precise Selection Criteria
Yacaranda, its young online travel agency, has thus specialized in sustainable luxury travel.
To meet new expectations, b[it selects hotels and experiences “that combine a high level of service, authentic immersion, care for the environment and for local cultures”.
Camille Obeida checks whether accommodations have obtained a label -Travel Life, Green Key, Green Globe, etc.- that is accepted, or whether they respond to “her own analytic criteria that highlight initiatives that are sometimes less visible but just as relevant”.
Thus, she, for instance, was won over by the Marbella Beach Club, a Spanish hotel committed to “the four points of responsibility” dear to Yacaranda: purchasing policy; community integration; management of water/energy/waste; architecture and rehabilitation of the building.
Moreover, this hotel supports the ANIDE association that helps refugee and underprivileged children and the ADINTRE association that assists people in precarious situations.
By the end of this year, Yacaranda’s site is expected to offer 200 carefully selected accommodations and itineraries. If hotels are selected directly by Camille, the proposed circuits are developed with DMCs that specialize in the chosen destinations.
To meet new expectations, b[it selects hotels and experiences “that combine a high level of service, authentic immersion, care for the environment and for local cultures”.
Camille Obeida checks whether accommodations have obtained a label -Travel Life, Green Key, Green Globe, etc.- that is accepted, or whether they respond to “her own analytic criteria that highlight initiatives that are sometimes less visible but just as relevant”.
Thus, she, for instance, was won over by the Marbella Beach Club, a Spanish hotel committed to “the four points of responsibility” dear to Yacaranda: purchasing policy; community integration; management of water/energy/waste; architecture and rehabilitation of the building.
Moreover, this hotel supports the ANIDE association that helps refugee and underprivileged children and the ADINTRE association that assists people in precarious situations.
By the end of this year, Yacaranda’s site is expected to offer 200 carefully selected accommodations and itineraries. If hotels are selected directly by Camille, the proposed circuits are developed with DMCs that specialize in the chosen destinations.
Target: Thirty-somethings with little time
Was there really a need to create yet another bespoke agency? “What sets us apart, she says, is that Yacaranda doesn’t merely sell tailor-made trips and dossiers developed during conversations with clients.”
On Yacaranda’s site, Camille emphasizes, clients can also instantly reserve online trips and engaged accommodations, with the guarantee that they match their search criteria.
The prices shown include transfers from and to the airport and insurance. Yacaranda earns a commission.
Target audience for this second offering? Thirty-somethings who are digital natives, highly engaged in professional life, but pressed for time.
Although Yacaranda’s success remains modest, Camille Obeida is hopeful to meet the goal of €1 million in turnover, set for 2030 in her business plan.
As of early June, tourism is not spared from the consequences of the War in the Middle East, yet she remains optimistic. If the Middle East is avoided and Asia is less in demand by her clients, Japan, on the other hand, continues to sell well, she notes.
Direct Air France flights between Paris and Tokyo or Osaka are judged to be more reassuring than flights with layovers, especially via the Middle East.
Moreover, Italy is thriving again, as is Greece (the surge in hotel rates that had affected this destination last year seems to be easing) and Morocco.
In the end, Yacaranda’s turnover is higher than it was at the same date last year. Camille Obeida views this as a confirmation of her intuition: travel that is “engaged” has a future ahead of it.
On Yacaranda’s site, Camille emphasizes, clients can also instantly reserve online trips and engaged accommodations, with the guarantee that they match their search criteria.
The prices shown include transfers from and to the airport and insurance. Yacaranda earns a commission.
Target audience for this second offering? Thirty-somethings who are digital natives, highly engaged in professional life, but pressed for time.
Although Yacaranda’s success remains modest, Camille Obeida is hopeful to meet the goal of €1 million in turnover, set for 2030 in her business plan.
As of early June, tourism is not spared from the consequences of the War in the Middle East, yet she remains optimistic. If the Middle East is avoided and Asia is less in demand by her clients, Japan, on the other hand, continues to sell well, she notes.
Direct Air France flights between Paris and Tokyo or Osaka are judged to be more reassuring than flights with layovers, especially via the Middle East.
Moreover, Italy is thriving again, as is Greece (the surge in hotel rates that had affected this destination last year seems to be easing) and Morocco.
In the end, Yacaranda’s turnover is higher than it was at the same date last year. Camille Obeida views this as a confirmation of her intuition: travel that is “engaged” has a future ahead of it.
Published by Paula Boyer LuxuryTravelMaG Editor – TourMaG.com See all articles by Paula Boyer
Add TourMaG to your Google News feed 
