TourMaG.com – What assessment do you make of the year 2026?
Jean-François Guieu : 2025 had been an exceptional year for us, both in turnover and in the number of groups. 2026 looks to be of the same caliber, perhaps slightly better. We will take more than 700 groups on tour this year.
In 2025, we achieved more than €16 million in turnover, for about 700 groups. In 2026, we should be slightly above that, between €16m and €17m, even though the last quarter has not yet been completed. The Christmas markets and other year-end events represent, in particular, a significant activity.
More than 50% of our activity, in terms of groups, remains in France. We then mainly operate in Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Austria. For several years now, we have also been developing air travel, for medium- and long-haul.
TourMaG.com – You are showing strong momentum despite a challenging economic environment. The FNTV mentions a drop in orders among coach operators. How do you interpret that?
Jean-François Guieu : We are fortunate to be very generalist and to have been relatively little affected by the international crisis. The majority of our trips take place in Europe and air travel still represents only a small portion of our activity.
Our coach operator partners have also made efforts in response to rising fuel prices to maintain their rates and preserve departures. We may also have benefited from the fact that some individual clients chose group coach travel to reduce their transport costs.
Coach travel remains a safe mode of travel, with good value for money. This may partly explain why we are positive about 2026.
TourMaG.com – How does the last quarter look?
Jean-François Guieu : For the end of the year, it is still too early to say.
We are in a market where bookings tend to come in quite late. December, for example, is an important month for New Year’s Eve celebrations and Christmas markets, but customers are only just starting to look ahead at these products.
We therefore depend heavily on last-minute bookings and occupancy rates. This is also what makes long-term forecasting difficult. For us, 2027 is not yet written.
Jean-François Guieu : 2025 had been an exceptional year for us, both in turnover and in the number of groups. 2026 looks to be of the same caliber, perhaps slightly better. We will take more than 700 groups on tour this year.
In 2025, we achieved more than €16 million in turnover, for about 700 groups. In 2026, we should be slightly above that, between €16m and €17m, even though the last quarter has not yet been completed. The Christmas markets and other year-end events represent, in particular, a significant activity.
More than 50% of our activity, in terms of groups, remains in France. We then mainly operate in Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Austria. For several years now, we have also been developing air travel, for medium- and long-haul.
TourMaG.com – You are showing strong momentum despite a challenging economic environment. The FNTV mentions a drop in orders among coach operators. How do you interpret that?
Jean-François Guieu : We are fortunate to be very generalist and to have been relatively little affected by the international crisis. The majority of our trips take place in Europe and air travel still represents only a small portion of our activity.
Our coach operator partners have also made efforts in response to rising fuel prices to maintain their rates and preserve departures. We may also have benefited from the fact that some individual clients chose group coach travel to reduce their transport costs.
Coach travel remains a safe mode of travel, with good value for money. This may partly explain why we are positive about 2026.
TourMaG.com – How does the last quarter look?
Jean-François Guieu : For the end of the year, it is still too early to say.
We are in a market where bookings tend to come in quite late. December, for example, is an important month for New Year’s Eve celebrations and Christmas markets, but customers are only just starting to look ahead at these products.
We therefore depend heavily on last-minute bookings and occupancy rates. This is also what makes long-term forecasting difficult. For us, 2027 is not yet written.
Brochure 2027 : “More than 450 programs: ideas in France and across Europe”
TourMaG.com – You have just released your 2027 brochure. What are the new features?
Jean-François Guieu : Our new brochure came out in July, a bit earlier than in previous years, to allow coach operators to study it during the summer.
It includes more than 450 programs: ideas in France and across Europe, notably city breaks, getaways, hikes, cruises, and even more distant escapes.
This year, we have also added a seaside section. The objective is, in particular, to help coach operators attract new customers, especially retirees, by diversifying their production.
TourMaG.com – Your model is precisely based on tailor-made solutions…
Jean-François Guieu : It is our main strength. We only do tailor-made work and operate strictly on demand.
The brochure is primarily a showroom and a source of inspiration. Then, everything is adaptable: the duration of the stay, the hotel category, the visits, the meals, the beverages, the presence of a guide…
This allows coach operators and group travel agencies to start from an idea and then build the product that precisely matches their clientele.
Jean-François Guieu : Our new brochure came out in July, a bit earlier than in previous years, to allow coach operators to study it during the summer.
It includes more than 450 programs: ideas in France and across Europe, notably city breaks, getaways, hikes, cruises, and even more distant escapes.
This year, we have also added a seaside section. The objective is, in particular, to help coach operators attract new customers, especially retirees, by diversifying their production.
TourMaG.com – Your model is precisely based on tailor-made solutions…
Jean-François Guieu : It is our main strength. We only do tailor-made work and operate strictly on demand.
The brochure is primarily a showroom and a source of inspiration. Then, everything is adaptable: the duration of the stay, the hotel category, the visits, the meals, the beverages, the presence of a guide…
This allows coach operators and group travel agencies to start from an idea and then build the product that precisely matches their clientele.
Tools and a modernized website
TourMaG.com – How many coach operators work with Solotour today?
Jean-François Guieu : We work on average each year with around 180 different coach operators or clients. But the profiles are very varied. Some entrust us with about thirty trips a year, while others only do one.
We are seeing more and more coach operators turning to our services. They sometimes have fewer internal resources to manage production and therefore want to rely on specialized professionals.
We save them time and simplify their work.
TourMaG.com – You have modernized your professional space, what does it offer?
Jean-François Guieu : We have done a lot of work to modernize our tools and our website. The professionals who work with us have a professional access that allows them to consult our production.
The novelty implemented this year concerns the detailed proposals that we send them. They can now consult them online, customize them, add their logo or text, and modify the rates.
The aim is for them to quickly convert our proposal into a commercial document and send it to their own client. It is a real time saver for them.
Jean-François Guieu : We work on average each year with around 180 different coach operators or clients. But the profiles are very varied. Some entrust us with about thirty trips a year, while others only do one.
We are seeing more and more coach operators turning to our services. They sometimes have fewer internal resources to manage production and therefore want to rely on specialized professionals.
We save them time and simplify their work.
TourMaG.com – You have modernized your professional space, what does it offer?
Jean-François Guieu : We have done a lot of work to modernize our tools and our website. The professionals who work with us have a professional access that allows them to consult our production.
The novelty implemented this year concerns the detailed proposals that we send them. They can now consult them online, customize them, add their logo or text, and modify the rates.
The aim is for them to quickly convert our proposal into a commercial document and send it to their own client. It is a real time saver for them.
Benjamin Moussi and Sébastien Frances, new shareholders of Solotour
TourMaG.com – Solotour also changed its ownership in 2025. Why this evolution?
Jean-François Guieu : The new ownership structure has been in place since January 2025. Alain Paoli, the founder of Solotour with whom I was a partner, had exercised his retirement rights and wanted to sell his shares. On my side, I did not wish to buy them.
We therefore chose to open the ownership to two friends, Benjamin Moussi and Sébastien Frances, who are not from the tourism sector but wished to accompany us in the future development of the company.
We did not want to sell to just anyone. It was essential to preserve what has made Solotour strong for over 35 years: our culture, our expertise in European destinations, the availability of our teams and our attention to detail.
TourMaG.com – Should this change accelerate the modernization of the company?
Jean-François Guieu : Yes. The operational management remains unchanged and I continue to run the company with my team. But this new ownership allows us, in particular, to invest in human resources, tools, infrastructure and digital.
We are now a team of 22 people. The goal is to continue anticipating the needs of our clients, notably with electronic invoicing and the evolution of digital tools.
Jean-François Guieu : The new ownership structure has been in place since January 2025. Alain Paoli, the founder of Solotour with whom I was a partner, had exercised his retirement rights and wanted to sell his shares. On my side, I did not wish to buy them.
We therefore chose to open the ownership to two friends, Benjamin Moussi and Sébastien Frances, who are not from the tourism sector but wished to accompany us in the future development of the company.
We did not want to sell to just anyone. It was essential to preserve what has made Solotour strong for over 35 years: our culture, our expertise in European destinations, the availability of our teams and our attention to detail.
TourMaG.com – Should this change accelerate the modernization of the company?
Jean-François Guieu : Yes. The operational management remains unchanged and I continue to run the company with my team. But this new ownership allows us, in particular, to invest in human resources, tools, infrastructure and digital.
We are now a team of 22 people. The goal is to continue anticipating the needs of our clients, notably with electronic invoicing and the evolution of digital tools.
“to remain a human-sized travel operator”
TourMaG.com – What place could AI take in your activity?
Jean-François Guieu : We are considering gradually integrating AI into some of our tools. The objective is absolutely not to replace our teams, but to save them time on repetitive tasks.
This could allow staff to focus more on their core business, be more available to clients, and spend more time out in the field, particularly with our service providers.
Our model remains artisanal and based on tailor-made service. We will be able to integrate certain AI uses, but we do not wish to automate the entirety of our activity.
TourMaG.com – What are your ambitions for the coming years?
Jean-François Guieu : We want to stay a human-sized travel operator, close to our clients, and continue offering the quality of service that has earned our reputation.
We have clients who have remained loyal to us for a very long time. Our best ambassadors are, in fact, the professionals we have worked with for 37 years who talk about us to others.
The objective is therefore to safeguard the company and gradually develop our activity, without losing what defines our identity.
Jean-François Guieu : We are considering gradually integrating AI into some of our tools. The objective is absolutely not to replace our teams, but to save them time on repetitive tasks.
This could allow staff to focus more on their core business, be more available to clients, and spend more time out in the field, particularly with our service providers.
Our model remains artisanal and based on tailor-made service. We will be able to integrate certain AI uses, but we do not wish to automate the entirety of our activity.
TourMaG.com – What are your ambitions for the coming years?
Jean-François Guieu : We want to stay a human-sized travel operator, close to our clients, and continue offering the quality of service that has earned our reputation.
We have clients who have remained loyal to us for a very long time. Our best ambassadors are, in fact, the professionals we have worked with for 37 years who talk about us to others.
The objective is therefore to safeguard the company and gradually develop our activity, without losing what defines our identity.
