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Subt’îles: Polynesian Travel Expertise Tailored to You

September 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

It all starts with a call, hard to explain any other way. After a BTS in tourism and an initial professional experience, Margot decides to leave everything behind overnight to settle in French Polynesia. She could not say precisely why this territory rather than another: she simply listened to that intuition and packed her suitcase.

When Polynesia Becomes an Obvious Choice

On site, integration happens naturally. She resumes studies at the University of Tahiti, works in a local hotel chain, and lives two rich years, split between everyday Polynesian life and exploration of the different archipelagos. This immersion leaves a lasting imprint, what the Polynesians call the fenua, the land of the people, rooted in the heart as much as in the guts.

Personal reasons bring her back to mainland France in 2012-2013, but the desire to teach continues to burn within her. She joins a specialized agency focusing on the destination for ten years, before launching her own operation in January 2024. Now supported by Vaihere, a native of Polynesia, she builds with her tailor-made journeys grounded in real lived experience of the territory.

Field Expertise in Service of Unique Journeys

Subt’îles is not a travel agency in the traditional sense. The structure is affiliated with the My Way collective, a network of independent travel consultants holding the licences and financial guarantees required to operate legally. This setup allows Margot and Vaihere to focus fully on their core trade: personalized support.

Their differentiator lies first in a complete specialization on French Polynesia. No other destination dilutes their expertise. It is complemented by concrete experience of the territory, maintained through regular stays on site, one or two times a year, for personal vacations as well as to reconnect with local partners.

This dual approach, professional and intimate, enables them to tailor to all profiles: honeymoon trips, cruises, family stays, long stays of one to two months to explore several archipelagos, luxurious getaways or more authentic experiences. No journey is alike; each client benefits from a single point of contact from the first exchange to the end of their stay, for a company deliberately kept to a human scale.

Off the Beaten Path Across the Five Polynesian Archipelagos

French Polynesia groups 118 islands spread across five archipelagos, a territory so vast that it deserves genuine guidance to unlock its richness. The essentials, Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora, form an ideal discovery base for a ten- to twelve-day stay.

For travelers with more time, Margot and Vaihere gladly steer toward the Marquesas or the Austral Islands, less known but equally striking. Their deep knowledge of the five archipelagos allows them to craft a tailored itinerary that blends must-sees with hidden destinations.

This expertise rests on a network of carefully selected local partners, tested and approved on the ground. Guesthouses as well as upscale hotels are part of their selection, each chosen for reliability and environmental commitment. On site, a trusted partner offers a concierge service available throughout the stay, a real asset given the twelve-hour time difference with the mainland.

Planning a trip to Polynesia alone remains possible, but inter-island logistics require meticulous preparation. Expert guidance saves time, helps avoid planning mistakes, and optimizes both budget and time on the ground.

Remaining faithful to a human-sized structure and to an exclusive specialization in French Polynesia, Margot and Vaihere continue to grow their project, notably with upcoming themed small-group itineraries, including swimming in November 2026 and yoga in 2027. A simple promise: to offer every traveler the Polynesian stay that truly suits them.

Contact

https://subtiles-tahiti.com/

[email protected]

01 87 66 67 48

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75008 Paris

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The editorial staff did not participate in the creation of this article

Brazil, Spain, Rail Travel: This Week in Tourism News [ABO]

September 13, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

La revue de presse internationale de la semaine - Depositphotos.com Auteur serezniy

Hurtigruten

Au sommaire de la revue de presse de la semaine du 24 août 2026 :

Eurostar bientôt concurrencé sur le tunnel sous la Manche

Brésil : le voyage d’affaires accélère

Thaïlande, Australie, Japon : les choix de voyage varient selon les générations

European Sleeper met le cap sur la Scandinavie

EF World Journeys courtise enfin les agences de voyages

Israël : le tourisme international reprend de la hauteur

En Espagne, le « flex living » séduit aussi les plus de 50 ans

Voyages d’affaires et réunions : la frontière s’efface

Insolite ! À Los Angeles, bientôt des taxis pour éviter… les bouchons

Eurostar soon facing competition on the Channel Tunnel

D’ici 2030, la concurrence devrait se développer sur la liaison ferroviaire entre Londres et l’Europe pour atteindre jusqu’à 55 allers-retours quotidiens. @depositphotos/jonkempner

La liaison ferroviaire entre Londres et l’Europe pourrait fortement se développer d’ici 2030, avec jusqu’à 55 allers-retours quotidiens, soit environ un train toutes les 15 minutes.

Eurostar devrait faire face à l’arrivée de Virgin Trains et de Trenitalia, qui prévoient respectivement leurs premiers services en 2030 et 2029.

Un troisième acteur, Gemini Trains, ambitionne également de se lancer. Cette concurrence pourrait accroître l’offre et faire baisser les tarifs, mais plusieurs obstacles restent à lever, notamment les autorisations réglementaires et la capacité des gares et infrastructures.

Plus à lire sur politico.eu

Brésil : le voyage d’affaires accélère

Le Brésil connaît un fort développement du voyage d’affaires. @depositphotos/iveklitch.gmail.com

Le Brésil s’impose comme l’un des marchés les plus dynamiques du voyage d’affaires.

Selon la GBTA, les dépenses corporate devraient atteindre 35,8 milliards de dollars en 2026, soit une croissance de 13,8 %, la plus forte parmi les 15 principaux marchés mondiaux.

Une dynamique qui accompagne celle du tourisme international : les recettes des visiteurs étrangers ont progressé de 12,1 % au premier semestre, à 5,6 milliards de dollars.

Plus à lire sur abouttravel.ch

Thailand, Australia, Japan: travel choices vary by generation

Les attentes des jeunes voyageurs diffèrent d’une génération à l’autre. @depositphotos/luckybusiness

Une étude basée sur plus de 4 700 réservations met en évidence des différences entre Gen Z et Millennials. La Thaïlande arrive en tête chez les plus jeunes, devant l’Australie, l’Indonésie et le Vietnam, tandis que les Millennials privilégient l’Australie, la Thaïlande et le Japon.

Budget, réseaux sociaux, recherche de destinations moins fréquentées et dispositifs comme le visa vacances-travail expliquent en partie ces écarts.

Plus d’informations sur le site euronews.com

EF World Journeys finally courting travel agencies

Israel: international tourism rebounds

En Israël, les hôtels ont enregistré 395 000 nuitées de touristes en juillet 2026, soit une hausse spectaculaire de 139 % sur un an.@depositphoto/VeronikaGorBO

Le tourisme international en Israël semble retrouver des couleurs : les hôtels ont enregistré 395 000 nuitées de touristes en juillet 2026, soit une hausse spectaculaire de 139 % sur un an.

Sur les sept premiers mois de l’année, le nombre de nuitées atteint 1,7 million, contre 1,5 million en 2025.

La reprise semble également s’accélérer, avec une moyenne mensuelle de 247 000 nuitées sur les trois derniers mois, contre 181 000 auparavant.

A lire sur traveldailynews.com

In Spain, the “flex living” also appeals to those over 50

En Espagne, les plus de 50 ans, séduits par les logements flexibles.@depositphotos/marimar8989

Le logement flexible change de cible en Espagne : longtemps associé aux étudiants et jeunes actifs, il attire désormais aussi les plus de 50 ans, séduits par l’autonomie, les services et les espaces partagés.

Selon Cando Living, le parc espagnol devrait doubler d’ici 2028, passant de 19 000 à près de 39 000 logements. Madrid concentre une grande partie des nouveaux projets, tandis que le secteur attire de plus en plus d’investisseurs.

Un article du site hosteltur.com

Business travel and meetings: the boundary is blurring

La frontière entre voyages d’affaires et réunions s’estompe. @depositphotos/kasto

Les voyages d’affaires et les réunions d’entreprise pourraient bientôt se gérer sur une même plateforme. Avec l’acquisition de TROOP, spécialiste de la planification de réunions, Spotnana veut réunir déplacements individuels, événements, réservations et dépenses.

Une tendance qui se confirme : plus de 60 % des responsables voyages et achats supervisent désormais à la fois les voyages et les réunions, contre 50 % en 2025. De quoi donner aux travel managers un terrain de jeu encore plus vaste !

Plus à lire skift.com

Insolite ! À Los Angeles, bientôt des taxis pour éviter… les bouchons

Les Américains feront-ils mieux que les Français ? Parviendront-ils à transporter les visiteurs en taxis volants pendant les JO de 2028 ? @depositphotos/rikitikitao@gmail.com

Pour les JO de 2028, Los Angeles pourrait proposer une solution très californienne aux embouteillages : prendre les airs !

Un premier « vertiport » accueillera des taxis volants électriques d’Archer Aviation, capables de transporter quatre passagers.

Le trajet entre Burbank et le SoFi Stadium passerait ainsi d’environ une heure en voiture à 14 minutes dans les airs.

Une idée qui rappelle les JO de Paris 2024 : la France avait elle aussi prévu des taxis volants, mais le projet s’était finalement soldé par un échec et 2,9 millions d’euros de dépenses publiques. À Los Angeles, les taxis volants auront donc une petite revanche à prendre !

Une info à lire sur euronews.com

Cultural Travel: The Voyage Companies Revive the Terra Incognita Brand [ABO]

September 13, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Hurtigruten

After revitalizing Adventure and Volcanoes, Les Compagnies du Voyage continues its development with the revival of Terra Incognita.

Jean-Christophe Guérin, the group’s President, already knew Terra Incognita from its original history.

The brand had been created at the end of the 1990s within the Atalante universe, then put to sleep in 2010. Guérin learns at the end of 2025 that it was still owned by the original group.

« If you do nothing with it, I’m interested. I’d be willing to take it back. I might have a project », he says.

Without a clearly defined idea at the outset, the conflict in the Middle East that erupted in late February accelerates its implementation. With an objective: to fidéliser the clientele on other types of travel.

Cultural journeys through experiences

<img src=”https://www.tourmag.com/my/tourmag/site/version2020/regie-video/pixel.png” width=”1″ height=”1″ style=”border:0px” id=”debloquage_article_abonnement”>With Vie Sauvage, a specialist in nature and wildlife travel, Fika Voyages for walking, cycling and train journeys, and Aventure et Volcans around the discovery of volcanoes, the group already had a strong positioning in adventure and discovery travel.

However, to keep this clientele engaged, Jean-Christophe Guérin needed a new string to his bow: « For the last two years, we have noticed that the people who travel with us and are very satisfied do not necessarily want their next project to be a nature trip. For many, it’s more of a cultural journey » he explains.

« Terra Incognita takes a place somewhat in mirror of what Vie Sauvage does in tailor-made fashion, in a more cultural dimension », the leader continues.

This cultural dimension, Les Compagnies du Voyage want to develop through discoveries, but also through experiences.

The brand will thus be able to offer a meeting with an artisan who exceptionally hosts travelers, a dinner at private homes sharing a passion, an immersion in an artistic universe or access to experiences that are hard to find in traditional tourist circuits.

« Each of us has our own Terra Incognita, he emphasizes. « Because we do bespoke travel, we want to start from what the client shares with us, from their desires and imagination, to then build the itinerary. This is how we want to launch the project. »

Terra Incognita: around fifteen destinations

Some experiences may be offered only once or twice a year, depending on the availability of people or the events involved.

Terra Incognita could also construct trips around festivals or events with a cultural, artistic or religious dimension. Small-group departures are also contemplated when the experience itself justifies sharing the journey with other participants or with an expert.

These collective departures should however remain minority, around 5 to 10% of the offer. Around fifteen destinations should form the initial base of the offering, with a presence in Europe, in Asia, in India and in Oceania. But the principle is to be able to respond to a much broader demand.

« This can also be in France. » adds the leader. The tour operator intends to rely on the know-how of the current teams: « 50% of the employees have knowledge that goes beyond the scope of the current brands. »

The group will also rely on independent consultants and specialists capable of intervening on specific topics.

The full Terra Incognita site is set to launch in the autumn. In the meantime, the brand is already developing its universe around a dream box, designed as an entryway to travel.

In some cases, Terra Incognita may even push the element of surprise further, letting the traveler discover their program progressively, or even at departure.

« We take the brief and let them discover their trip, either at the airport, or day by day, as it unfolds », describes Jean-Christophe Guérin.

An approach that echoes the notion of a journey into unknown land…

Royal Caribbean Hosts Over 500 Travel Agents Aboard the Legend of the Seas

September 12, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Plus de 500 agents de voyages EMEA ont participé au « Seminar at Sea » de Royal Caribbean à bord du Legend of the Seas. Photo: Royal Caribbean

Hurtigruten

Royal Caribbean a réuni plus de 500 agents de voyages venus de toute la région EMEA à bord du Legend of the Seas pour son plus important « Seminar at Sea » jamais organisé.

Pendant five days, les professionnels ont pu se familiariser avec le nouveau navire, premier de la Icon class à naviguer en Europe, et approfondir leur connaissance de l’offre de la compagnie.

Les participants ont notamment découvert les différentes catégories d’hébergement, les expériences proposées à bord, les principales escales du navire ainsi que le portefeuille de destinations Ultimate de Royal Caribbean. Ils ont également pu tester en avant-première le nouvel outil de traduction en direct basé sur l’intelligence artificielle, avec des contenus audio et des sous-titres disponibles dans plusieurs langues.

Royal Caribbean : formation et immersion à bord

The program combined training sessions and product discovery. The agents were notably able to participate in Legend Quest, an interactive experience in the form of a game that lets participants explore the ship and its various activities.

They also had access to roughly 40 dining, drinks and entertainment experiences offered onboard, including the new Hollywoodland Supper Club and the show Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The itinerary also included calls at Palma de Mallorca and La Spezia.

Royal Caribbean emphasizes that this format should enable travel partners to better grasp the experience offered to their clients and to strengthen their expertise on the company’s offerings.

Hervé Bellaïche (Catlante): Travel Agencies Are Our Main Growth Engine

September 12, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

TourMaG – The summer is drawing to a close. What assessment do you make of the 2026 season?

Hervé Bellaïche : The assessment is fairly positive, at least above our expectations. We were concerned because market trends suggested a difficult market that had trouble stabilizing.

In the end, we recorded a large number of last-minute bookings, about 20% more than usual. We also achieved an excellent August, the best in five years. So we are very commercially satisfied.

Travel agencies have been a great help and today constitute our main growth engine.

Beyond the commercial results, what matters most for Catlante is the customer experience, the quality of service and overall satisfaction. And in this regard, feedback is consistently excellent. Clients come back telling us they spent fantastic holidays, sometimes even “the best holidays of their lives.” That is what motivates us to go even further and to make the brand more widely known.

TourMaG – Travel agencies have thus embraced the cabin-cruise concept on a catamaran. How did you develop this distribution network?

Hervé Bellaïche : A few years ago, Catlante was nearly exclusively sold direct. We found a second growth engine with travel agencies, thanks to the work undertaken for about two years to develop distribution networks.

It wasn’t necessarily easy. When you have a history of operating primarily through direct sales, you have to learn to work with a network of endorsers. I’ve been in the tourism industry for 20 years and for 20 years I’ve advocated this growth channel. I’m therefore very pleased that we managed to implement it at Catlante.

In the first half of the year, we’ve seen an 80% growth in travel agencies. It’s working very well, with two phenomena: some agencies are literally exploding their sales, with three- to fourfold increases over their previous level, while others still haven’t jumped aboard and are stagnating.

Our analysis is that some agencies have understood the appeal of this new type of vacation, which is popular, while others have not yet integrated this evolution.

TourMaG – The travel sector has faced the consequences of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Has your product proven particularly resilient?

Hervé Bellaïche : Yes. In summer, around 90% of our production is in the Mediterranean. We have many departures from the Marseille coast, up to Saint-Tropez, but also from Corsica toward the north and southern Corsica, or Italy.

We also have departures from Palma to Minorca and Majorca in the Balearics. So these are mainly close-to-home trips. We also have a few trips to the Seychelles, which were more affected by the difficulties related to the Middle East.

Our product is resilient and even acted as a kind of travel refuge.

Some agencies have called us saying they had clients initially planned for long-haul trips or even within France, in areas hit by storms or fires, who had to rethink their plans. That perhaps explains part of the last-minute bookings.

We notably had a few families who had planned to go to the Landes region, Cap-Ferret for example, and who ultimately redirected to a Catlante trip.

TourMaG – What is the current split between cabin cruises and privatizations?

Hervé Bellaïche : Catlante indeed does two kinds of offerings. We invented this cabin-cruise model: essentially sharing a boat, somewhat like a guesthouse on the sea. Our vessels are specifically designed for this, with plenty of space.

Clients frequently tell us they have met amazing people while still being able to live their own life. The act of sharing the boat can be a first hurdle at the time of booking, but once aboard, the initial hesitation completely fades away.

Today, roughly two-thirds of our activity comes from the cabin product. A couple, two couples or a family can take one, two or three cabins on the six cabins each boat offers. We have six cabins per boat, with a crew of two to three people.

The remaining one-third corresponds to groups or families who come together and privatize the boat.

TourMaG – Cabin cruising remains a niche product. Is it becoming more mainstream?

Hervé Bellaïche : I can’t speak for the entire industry, but at Catlante we sense strong demand.

I believe this owes more to the way Catlante operates than to a general democratization of the sector. The company has been around for 23 years and, for 23 years, we have focused on the same thing: cabin-catamaran cruises, whether cabin-based or privatized, with crew.

Our know-how, our methods and our approach help us build client loyalty. We operate at smaller volumes compared with large tour operators—probably 10, 20 or 50 times less. We handle between 6,000 and 10,000 passengers per year.

We perform our activities in a professional manner. It is craftsmanship on a grand scale. We always depart with 12 people. Each departure is precisely shaped, personalized and customized. Yet we manage to run roughly 500 departures per year.

TourMaG – What are your prospects for the winter season 2026-2027 and which destinations will you offer?

Hervé Bellaïche : The Caribbean is at the heart of our winter activity. The Grenadines stand out as a particularly fantastic destination to discover by boat and by catamaran.

We also propose tours around Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy and Antigua and Barbuda. We have a whole range of Caribbean destinations that lend themselves especially well to catamaran vacations.

We reach incredible lagoons, moving from paradise beaches to paradise beaches, from secret coves to secret coves. It is quite amazing.

TourMaG – How does the winter season look commercially?

Hervé Bellaïche : Like many players, we’ve fallen a bit behind. We had a lot of momentum for the summer and managed to maintain it. For the winter, however, we sense a tendency toward last-minute bookings.

We still have quite a bit of availability for this winter. This does not overly worry us, but the activity will need to take off at the start of the autumn term. We look forward to the rentrée to boost sales and ensure that clients join us this winter.

We also tend to extend the summer season into September, or even late September, with departures in Corsica, the Balearics and more generally in the Mediterranean. We then begin the Caribbean season around mid-November. That gives us a little time to fill the order book.

TourMaG – 2027 will be an election year in France. Are you worried about the presidential elections?

Hervé Bellaïche : Not at all. What could actually worry us is purchasing power.

We remain with prices that, relative to the product’s quality, are very well positioned. In our satisfaction surveys, which we analyze in great detail, a large number of clients tell us that the value for money is incredible.

Nevertheless, we do not want to raise prices to keep the product accessible. We prefer to increase the number of boats and grow our customer base rather than raise rates.

We are not, either, in a discounting framework. We have never done it and we will never do it.

One can be concerned about the situation of French clients and their purchasing power. On the other hand, I do not think that the fact that people must vote or fear what is going to happen will stop them from travelling. The experiences from previous years have shown us that this kind of context did not have a drastic impact on the travel industry.

TourMaG – What will be Catlante’s next engagements with tourism professionals?

Hervé Bellaïche : We obviously continue all our familiarization tours and our actions with professionals. Our salespeople travel across France to meet travel agencies.

We are increasingly organizing familiarization trips and ship visits. It’s enough to contact Catlante and our sales team to arrange this kind of event.

We have put a lot of work into this area this year. We welcomed around 2,000 people, including nearly 500 travel agents aboard our ships to discover our product.

We will also be present at the IFTM, even though we will unfortunately not have a stand, as we do not yet have the budgets required or the critical size to do so. We will also be present at the Grand Pavois in La Rochelle at the end of September, at Cannes for the Nautical Fair, and at the Paris Boat Show in November.

Finally, we will organize in the coming months an evening bringing together our clients and our most loyal agencies, as well as a few partners and friends, to allow everyone to meet.

Because travel, too, is about that. At Catlante, it is about meeting, sharing and exchanging.

In a world that is very disconnected, what we advocate with Catlante is reconnecting with nature, switching off the phone, real reconnection and reconnecting with oneself. We want to connect and reconnect clients with one another.

Custom Group Travel

September 11, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Hurtigruten

A Well-Functioning Group Tour Does Not Necessarily Need Replacing

An agency has been programming Andalusia for ten years. Seville, Cordoba, Granada: the itinerary is well-known, mastered, and continues to captivate.

The first instinct could be to search for a new destination. But is it really necessary?

The great classics remain powerful triggers of sales. For a traveler who discovers Andalusia, removing the Alhambra or the Cordoba Mosque-Cathedral in the name of originality would make little sense.

However, a good circuit can wear out in the way it is built or told.

It can be worthwhile to preserve its backbone and refine a few moments: another stop, a gastronomic experience, a special evening, a more immersive visit, or simply a pace that leaves more room for the destination.

Renewal does not always mean changing the product.

It can involve looking at a known product with a fresh eye.

Finding a New Reason to Travel

Take another very common scenario.

Clients who have already visited Lisbon and Porto. How can we rekindle their appetite for Portugal?

Adding yet another visit to Lisbon will probably not suffice. Yet Portugal can be rediscovered very differently depending on the guiding thread: gastronomy, heritage, traditions, inland areas, local festivals, vineyards, crafts, or less-programmed territories.

The destination hasn’t changed. The reason to return, yes.

That is where the inbound agency’s work truly begins.

What truly aligns with the agency’s clientele? How far to go beyond the classics? Which experience provides enough value to justify its cost? Is it feasible for 45 people? At what period? What impact on kilometers, meals, and schedules?

These trade-offs turn a good idea into a marketable group program.

Because a service can be wonderful on paper and much less relevant when one must integrate a coach, travel times, a reasonable daily pace, and lunch for 45 people. In group travel, originality must always pass the field test.

Being Different Does Not Mean Packing In More

This is probably the most common trap when a program needs a new breath.

An extra tasting. An unusual visit. A workshop. A local encounter. Taken separately, each of these elements may seem interesting. Put together, they can produce a day that is more expensive, longer and ultimately less enjoyable.

The right question is therefore not: “What more can we add?”

But rather: “What will truly change the perception of the journey?”

A single well-chosen encounter can be enough.

In Galicia, for example, discovering the work of mariscadoras, the women who harvest shellfish on the rías, lets you approach the destination through a trade, the local economy, the gastronomy and the relationship with the sea. The experience is simple in form, but it offers a different reading of the territory.

It is also from this reflection that certain Únia Signature creations were born: starting from a tradition, an event, a season, or a know-how to give a through-line to the stay.

The Fallas of Valencia, Temps de Flors in Girona or a program built around local flavors and traditions are not interesting simply because they are “different.” They become interesting when they provide a genuine reason to choose or rediscover the destination.

That is why originality does not need to be spectacular. It must be relevant above all.

When the Catalog No Longer Suffices

There are also requests that fall outside any brochure.

For example, an agency calls us with a very simple brief: “I have a group of botany enthusiasts. They want to discover lesser-known gardens and they don’t want a classic circuit. What can we build?”

From there, we search. Which gardens are truly worth the trip? How can they be connected without spending the whole day on the coach? What season should we depart? Where should we lunch? What is realistic for the group and for its budget? It is by working these details with the agency that the program takes shape.

That is where the customized group travel makes all the sense.

Sometimes, the result will be a completely new program. Sometimes, it will be enough to evolve an existing circuit. In both cases, the starting idea must be tested against the terrain to become a product that the agency can actually sell and operate with confidence.

An Itinerary to Evolve?

A program that works but is starting to lose momentum? Clients who already know the destination? A particular theme to transform into a group travel experience?

At Únia Travel, it’s precisely this part of the DMC’s work that we are passionate about: listening to the idea, challenging it when necessary, researching on the ground, and transforming it with you into a program tailored to your clients.

Family Travel: From Kid-Friendly to Family-Friendly

September 11, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

From ‘kid-friendly’ to ‘family-friendly’

Hurtigruten

The distinction may seem subtle, yet it reshapes how a stay is designed. A product labeled as “kid-friendly” primarily answers the specific needs of children. The “family-friendly” concept encompasses them and pushes further: it aims to craft programs that captivate and involve both parents and children at once.

It isn’t about replacing the “kid-friendly” approach, but about weaving it into a broader framework. A pool, a family-friendly hotel, or services tailored for kids remain important—they form the comfort baseline families expect. But they don’t automatically guarantee distinction anymore.

The question shifts from “Is this suitable for children?” to “Will parents and children want to experience it together?”

This evolution represents a real challenge for agencies and tour operators. It invites evolution not only in product development but also in selling points: beyond comfort levels and facilities, one must be able to tell what the family will actually do and share during the trip.

Not just keeping kids busy, but giving them a real place

The shift also changes the child’s role during the trip.

It’s no longer enough to merely plan an activity to occupy them while adults explore. The child becomes an active participant in discovery: getting hands-on in a workshop, learning a local craft, spotting wildlife in its natural setting, or exploring a city through a game.

This approach also lets parents view the destination differently. Travel becomes less a sequence of must-see sites and more a program built around discoveries accessible to several generations.

For professionals, this evolution opens a space for differentiation. In a market where many offers claim to be “family-friendly,” the ability to provide genuinely original experiences tailored to different ages becomes a standalone selling point.

From Bali to Japan: when the offering embodies this evolution

This trend is becoming visible especially in how some destinations package experiences.

At Shanti Travel, for instance, this thinking led to the creation of a dedicated family-focused GIR in Bali. The lineup includes: an introduction to the art of pottery with a craftsman, a treasure hunt through the Ubud countryside, a catamaran excursion around Nusa Lembongan, and a sunset jeep ride at the foot of Mount Batur. Different formats, but a single objective: empower children to participate without turning the journey into a program built solely for them.

In Japan, experiences take a different shape: a sumo-themed dinner show, a manga workshop with a Japanese artist in Nakano, a kimono photoshoot, an origami workshop, or a glimpse into the world of samurai. Again, these are not “activities for children,” but offerings that children can enjoy alongside their parents.

For distributors, this type of content also provides a fresh sales angle: you’re no longer selling merely a destination or an itinerary, but the moments that will allow the family to recount the trip after they return.

Adventure, but in the right measure

The “family-friendly” approach also helps escape a binary view of family travel: on one side, a comfortable, highly structured stay, and on the other, an adventure reserved for experienced families.

Between them, there is a whole spectrum of possibilities. An accessible hike, a boat outing, a cycling excursion, or a night in an unconventional lodging can deliver real novelty without turning the trip into an obstacle course.

The professional’s job is to strike the right balance between discovery and comfort, taking into account the children’s ages as well as the parents’ desires.

Rethinking pace and priorities

Memory as the new criterion of success

In essence, shifting from “kid-friendly” to “family-friendly” reflects a broader evolution in how travel is conceived.

Families want to travel in good conditions, of course, but they also seek what everyday life doesn’t always allow: to discover, to learn, to marvel, and to share a different kind of pause.

For tourism professionals, the challenge is less about building trips where children don’t get bored and more about offering trips where every generation can find its place.

Because a few years down the line, a family is likely to remember less the hotel and more that tuk-tuk ride through the tea plantations, that harvest in the rice fields, that bicycle ride, or that night with a local host.

In other words: “family-friendly” isn’t just about tailoring the trip to children.

It means designing a journey that the whole family will want to experience.

Le voyage en famille sort du « kids friendly » : place au « family friendly »

Mélissa Pébrocq
B2B Sales Manager
[email protected]
www.shantitravel.com/fr
+33 6 52 77 86 09

>> SHANTI TRAVEL in the DESTIMAG Directory

Jans Tours Invites Travel Professionals to IFTM 2026 to Shape Tomorrow’s Travel Across Four Destinations

September 11, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Hurtigruten

IFTM: three days to reconnect and prepare for 2027

A few weeks ahead of IFTM Top Resa, Jans Tours is gearing up to reconnect with its partners and tourism professionals for three days of meetings and exchanges.

For the receptive side, the trade show provides a privileged moment to take time to discuss upcoming projects, present new offerings, and share the latest inspirations from local teams.

As journeys for 2027 are already being planned, traveler expectations are evolving too: more personalization, new experiences, itineraries that depart from the classics, lesser-known addresses, and programs tailored to specific clienteles — topics that can be discussed directly with Jans Tours teams.

The objective is simple: to engage with professionals, understand their needs and collaboratively build the upcoming journeys for their clients.

Four destinations, four ways of traveling

This year, Jans Tours arrives at IFTM with four destinations to present to industry professionals: Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Switzerland.

Four distinct realms, but a single approach: a strong local presence and teams that know their destinations from the inside out.

Indonesia remains at the heart of Jans Tours’ DNA. Bali, Java, Lombok, Sumatra, Komodo—these regions enable the creation of very diverse journeys, from a first-time visit to Indonesia to more hidden itineraries and tailored experiences.

In the Philippines, the team also guides professionals in building programs that blend islands, beaches, nature, encounters, and local experiences. A destination still full of opportunities to move beyond the most classical itineraries.

Malaysia continues to grow within the group. With its office in Kuala Lumpur, Jans Tours can rely on a locally based team to design programs aligned with travelers’ expectations and the needs of professionals.

And then, there is Switzerland.

A new destination joins the Jans Tours family

It’s one of the major novelties of this 2026 edition: Jans Tours expands its playing field with the opening of its office in Switzerland.

After Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, this new presence marks another milestone in the group’s development.

Jans Tours Switzerland is now fully operational on the ground and completes Jans Tours’ international network.

The destination opens up new possibilities for professionals: individual trips, group departures, incentives, premium stays, or tailor-made itineraries can be crafted around Switzerland’s diverse landscapes and experiences.

From the Alps to the lakes, cities to villages, gastronomy to scenic railway experiences, Switzerland offers a particularly rich playground for designing bespoke programs.

And above all, as with its Asian destinations, Jans Tours relies on local knowledge and close relationships with professionals.

So, even if the Jans Tours stand is located in the Asia space, Swiss projects are, of course, welcome!

An international team gathered in Paris

For this edition of IFTM, several Jans Tours team members will travel to Paris.

Anthony, Audrey, Eva and Lucie from the France office will be on hand to welcome professionals and discuss their projects.

Also present will be Geoffrey, Rudi and Benjamin, directly from the Indonesia office, as well as Sylvain, representing the Malaysia office.

An international team that will allow visitors to meet both their usual contacts in France and the teams based directly at the destinations.

Because this is also Jans Tours’ hallmark: behind every program there are local teams who know the ground realities, partners, new offerings, and experiences truly worth presenting to travelers. There is also a France-based office, with dedicated contacts, enabling French-language exchanges and close, on-site support, without time-zone constraints.

IFTM will thus be an opportunity to (re)put faces to these teams, and to take time to discuss beyond emails and quote requests.

Malaysia featured at a second pavilion

Jans Tours will also be present at the pavilion of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, stand A014.

A complementary presence that will allow professionals to come and discuss the destination, its novelties, and programming possibilities.

Malaysia indeed offers numerous options for building journeys that combine major highlights with more intimate experiences. With its local team based in Kuala Lumpur, Jans Tours continues developing this destination with agencies and tour operators.

Professionals will therefore be able to find Jans Tours at two different spots in the show, depending on their needs and projects.

Meetings from September 15 to 17 in Paris

Jans Tours donne rendez-vous aux professionnels à l’IFTM 2026 pour préparer les voyages de demain autour de 4 destinations

Audrey Marc

Deputy Director, France

+ 33 6 70 54 20 63

+ 33 1 61 30 30 06

[email protected]

jans.tours

>> JANS TOURS in the DESTIMAG Directory

The Middle East Reimagined: Abu Dhabi’s Culture, Art, and New Travel Experiences

September 10, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Hurtigruten

The Middle East is undergoing a transformation, offering travelers far more than a mere escape. Heritage, contemporary art, architecture, cuisine, and exclusive experiences are now at the heart of itineraries. In Abu Dhabi, the opening of the Guggenheim strengthens the emirate’s cultural appeal, while Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan are developing new ways to discover their history and landscapes. For tourism professionals, this evolution presents a tremendous opportunity to offer journeys that are more personalized, more immersive, and more centered on the experience.

Abu Dhabi: A New Cultural Milestone with the Guggenheim

Long associated with its beaches, luxury hotels, and spectacular architecture, Abu Dhabi is increasingly asserting its identity as a cultural destination. The opening of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, scheduled for December 11, 2026, marks a major new milestone in this transformation.

Installé sur l’île de Saadiyat, le musée imaginé par l’architecte Frank Gehry vient compléter un environnement culturel déjà exceptionnel, notamment avec le Louvre Abu Dhabi. Son arrivée offre une nouvelle raison de séjourner dans la capitale des Émirats arabes unis et ouvre de nouvelles possibilités pour les voyageurs intéressés par l’art, l’architecture et la culture contemporaine.

Pour les agences de voyages et les tour-opérateurs, cette évolution permet également de renouveler les programmes classiques. Abu Dhabi peut désormais se découvrir à travers des itinéraires mêlant patrimoine, culture, architecture, gastronomie, expériences exclusives et détente.

Cette nouvelle offre culturelle s’intègre naturellement dans des combinés avec Dubaï, permettant aux voyageurs de découvrir deux visages complémentaires des Émirats : une métropole internationale et dynamique d’un côté, une capitale culturelle et patrimoniale de l’autre.

Destinations Emphasizing the Experience

The evolution is not limited to Abu Dhabi. Across the Middle East, travelers are now seeking experiences that go beyond traditional sightseeing.
In Saudi Arabia, AlUla perfectly illustrates this new approach. The dramatic landscapes, the archaeological site of Hegra, cultural experiences, and new hotel concepts enable particularly immersive stays.
Jordan remains a must-see with Petra, Wadi Rum, and the richness of its heritage. Yet the aim here, too, is to offer a more customized discovery: encounters with locals, gastronomic experiences, desert nights, private visits, or programs that combine culture and well-being.
In Egypt, the country’s immense historical wealth continues to attract travelers, while new experiences emerge. From Cairo to Luxor and Aswan, including Nile cruises and stays along the Red Sea, the destination allows for very different itineraries tailored to clients’ expectations.
The Middle East is thus becoming a region where customization, authenticity, and the quality of the experience are increasingly important.

Local Expertise, a Real Asset for Tourism Professionals

This shift in expectations reinforces the role of DMCs, which are becoming true partners for agencies and tour operators.
Dakkak DMC, a historic player in Middle East tourism since 1955, supports professionals in designing and delivering tailor-made programs across several destinations in the region.
From airport welcome to coordinating transfers, from hotel reservations to cultural visits, from private tours to group trips and MICE programs, the goal is to ensure smooth organization while preserving the flexibility to meet specific client requests.
This local expertise also enables the creation of programs that depart from traditional itineraries: meetings with local actors, private experiences, culturally guided visits by specialists, exclusive activities, or combinations of multiple destinations.
For a travel agency, collaborating with a local partner also means benefiting from concrete on-the-ground knowledge of the terrain, suppliers, logistical constraints, and the constant evolution of each destination.

Dakkak DMC: Assisting Agencies in a Middle East in Full Evolution

Present in several destinations across the region, Dakkak DMC helps tourism professionals design individual trips, group journeys, cultural circuits, incentives, and events.
In the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern destinations, local teams work with agencies to build programs tailored to each client profile.
The arrival of new cultural attractions like Guggenheim Abu Dhabi perfectly illustrates this evolution. It enables new combinations and the reinvention of destinations already familiar to travelers.
For Dakkak DMC, the challenge is to continue anticipating these changes and to turn each novelty into an opportunity for tourism professionals.
The Middle East no longer merely tells its story: it is today writing a new page in the future of its tourism.

Authentic Morocco: From the Sahara to the Imperial Cities with NAGA Travel

September 10, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Hurtigruten

In the Footsteps of Caravans Across the Moroccan Desert

Nestled in the southern reaches of Morocco, at the edge of the Sahara, the village of Mhamid El Ghizlane marks the starting point of a unique adventure through the vast desert. With NAGA Travel, travelers embark on treks and desert hikes, guided by nomads and former caravan men, to discover the authentic Sahara and its grand landscapes.

The itineraries follow the ancient caravan routes, traversing oases and desert plateaus, all the way to the majestic dunes of Erg Chegaga and Erg Zahar, nicknamed the howling dune for its wild and spectacular character.

On the way, a must-stop is Sidi Naji, an iconic site rich in history and local traditions. This stop, frequently visited by caravans, offers a unique glimpse into Saharan spirituality and culture, inviting travelers to fully soak up the desert’s soul.

The days unfold to the rhythm of walking or camel caravans, weaving between dunes, hamadas and palm groves. In the evening, bivouacs set up in the heart of the desert provide magical moments: tea beneath the stars, nomadic tales, and a total immersion in the silence and beauty of the Sahara.

With NAGA Travel, every circuit is an authentic experience, combining adventure, spectacular landscapes and encounters with desert inhabitants, along the routes of Morocco’s ancient caravan trails.

Exploring the Imperial Cities and Northern Morocco

With NAGA Travel, embark on a journey to Morocco’s imperial cities and the treasures of the North. Our itineraries let you explore Casablanca, Rabat, Meknès, Fès, as well as the fascinating regions of northern Morocco, blending history, culture and extraordinary landscapes.

In Casablanca, you will discover the majestic Hassan II Mosque, a symbol of modern Moroccan architecture, and you can wander through the Habous district, with its authentic charm.

In Rabat, the royal capital, history is written between the Kasbah des Oudayas, the Mausoleum Mohammed V and the tranquil gardens that line the Atlantic.

Meknès, an imperial city on the UNESCO World Heritage list, will captivate you with its historic ramparts, monumental gates and lively souks, testifying to the kingdom’s rich past.

Contact NAGA Travel

Maroc authentique : du désert du Sahara aux villes impériales avec NAGA Travel

Hassan Laghfiri

[email protected]

www.naga-travel.com

Hassan : + 212 644 777 405 WhatsApp