Founded in 2014 by Sam Zribi and Selim Kadhi, the travel operator now records an annual turnover of €30 million and a net profit that has hovered in recent years around €1.5 million.
And yet, they are hardly ever in the spotlight. “We are a tour operator specialized in circuits, seaside stays and multi-destination combinations across the world. We work on white-label for mini-networks, coach operators, mass retailers, independent agencies, OTAs, etc.” says Sam Zribi, co-founder of the group and former head of the Tunisia-focused TO Amplitude (Amplitravel). “There, we are in very advanced negotiations with very large distribution networks.”
Kepler Travel, from DMC grouping to tour operator
Originally, Kepler Travel is a consortium of several receptive DMCs. Our president, Selim Kadhi, managed to bring them on board to be able to offer agencies the right product at the fair price.
Brazil, then Costa Rica, Jordan, Oman, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Panama and finally the Mediterranean basin with Tunisia and Morocco… Kepler gradually expanded its reach worldwide, drawing in, on the other side, OTAs with packaged products offered at very favorable rates.
“We don’t take a margin on these products,” explains Selim Kadhi, president and co-founder of Kepler. “Our revenues come directly from the activity of the DMCs in which we are either shareholders or partners. Hence our strong operational mastery of price and product.”
New destinations in South America are expected to join the TO’s catalog soon.
Tailor-made products for every client
“Some fellow TOs have fallen into wholesale industrialization. They no longer have time for bespoke solutions. That’s why you see the same product in the mass market.
We, we try to target the distributor by creating for them their own circuit. We even have a dedicated team for bespoke services,
” notes Sam Zribi. “We have remained artisans.”
This is also the advantage of having teams on site. “We deliver within 24 hours. Moreover, with us the product manager is also the salesperson. He plays a forward-looking, production, and sales role. His end-to-end mastery is our strength, as his relationship with buyers across different networks is direct,” adds Sam Zribi.
Additionally, to always stay one step ahead in production, the B2B tour operator has set up an internal service charged with observing evolving client purchasing behavior: length of stays, booking lead times, etc.
In total, Kepler employs about ten people at its Paris headquarters, across the air, commercial and management areas. Support functions — back office, call center, collections — are located abroad.
Today, the TO counts between 200 and 300 partner agencies. “We work well with coach operators because we offer departures from the provinces,” adds the co-founder. Kepler is also known in the French-speaking markets — Belgium and Switzerland — as it offers departures from Geneva and Brussels.
