C’est le pari de Salaün Holidays avec son opération estivale “Your travel agency comes to meet you”.
À bord d’un Mercedes Marco Polo habillé aux couleurs de l’enseigne, deux conseillers commerciaux installent ponctuellement leur bureau sur les marchés de communes de la Sarthe et de l’Orne.
Pour Franck Autret, directeur général du réseau d’agences de voyages Salaün Holidays, cette initiative répond à une réflexion plus large sur l’évolution de la distribution.
“Nous sommes à la fois tour-opérateur, agent de voyages, mais aussi transporteur. Dans nos réflexions pour développer notre activité, cette idée a émergé : pourquoi ne pas créer une agence qui va directement à la rencontre des clients ?”
L’entreprise disposait déjà d’un van, qu’elle a transformé en agence mobile. Deux conseillers, habituellement en poste en agence, se sont portés volontaires pour participer à cette première expérimentation.
L’objectif est simple : recréer un contact de proximité avec une clientèle qui ne dispose pas toujours d’une agence de voyages à quelques kilomètres de chez elle, tout en suscitant des projets de vacances dans un cadre plus spontané.
A start slowed by the heatwave
“We started in the middle of a heatwave, which obviously didn’t help. On the first day, there weren’t many people at the market with nearly 40 °C“, acknowledges Franck Autret.
The following days proved more encouraging. “We had more contacts with traders than visitors at first, but also several inquiries and quotes. I wouldn’t say we are making sales every day, but this first test is quite interesting. The concept arouses curiosity and the initial feedback is positive.”
According to the group, the stops at Longny-les-Villages and Bellême notably allowed measuring public interest, both from exhibitors and residents.
An experiment that could be extended
At its end, Salaün Holidays will draw an initial assessment before deciding on the next steps.
If the idea of an itinerant agency year-round does not seem on the agenda, the concept could return in the autumn in another region. “If we find the experience to be conclusive, we could renew the operation in the autumn on another territory. In the long term, it’s a concept that could be sustained, or even developed“, says Franck Autret.
Next steps of the tour
• Friday, July 3 : Malicorne-sur-Sarthe
• Tuesday, July 7 : Bonnétable
• Wednesday, July 8 : Longny-les-Villages
• Thursday, July 9 : Saint-Calais
• Friday, July 10 : Malicorne-sur-Sarthe
• Wednesday, July 15 : Longny-les-Villages
• Thursday, July 16 : Saint-Calais
• Friday, July 17 : Malicorne-sur-Sarthe
Written by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor See all articles by Amélia Brille
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