Audiophones: Vox Group Reaches Milestone with Simultaneous Translation


Avec Vox Aura, le guide touristique peut proposer une solution de traduction simultanée en 4 langues, lors d'une même visite, à partir d'un seul récepteur - Photo : Vox Group

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TourMaG – Could you quickly introduce Vox Group?

Daniele Marchesiello: Vox Group was founded 25 years ago in Italy.

We have been offering technological solutions for guided tours, including headsets, audioguides, and a sightseeing app for individuals.

We work mainly with tour operators, cruise lines, OTAs, coach operators, museums, receptive agencies, and we are present in more than 150 countries across the globe.

TourMaG – Could you name a few of your clients?

Daniele Marchesiello :
We collaborate with Salaün Holidays, Verdié Voyages, Solotour, Richou, but also cruise operators like Intercruises, BLB Cruises, CroisiEurope, Tauck, Trafalgar in the UK, or Riviera Travel in Switzerland.

There are also Get Your Guide, Viator, the Château de Chenonceau, or in Marseille the Cosquer Cave, the MUCEM and the Tourist Office. In Aix-en-Provence, we have clients such as the Granet Museum, the Hôtel de Caumont, etc.

TourMaG – How does Vox Group differentiate itself from the competition?

Daniele Marchesiello :
We have two main competitors, Quiet Vox, founded in 2004, three years after us, and Whisper. We regularly find ourselves competing among the three, broadly speaking.

Our seniority and expertise give us a decisive edge. We offer flexibility and global know-how that make the difference.

We distinguish ourselves already by our presence and offices around the world, which helps reassure our partners. If they come to Egypt and have an issue, they know they can call the local office to find solutions.

The other major difference is that our competitors are specialized in certain tourism segments. By contrast, we chose to position ourselves across all segments.

And then, we never stop investing, whether it’s designing new products, improving current ones, or renewing the headset fleet.

Finally, our group stands out by its size. We employ more than 300 employees, including office staff (sales, marketing, etc.) and the various teams that prepare devices, manage reservations, ship them, etc.


TourMaG – In this July month, you’re innovating again with Vox Aura. Could you explain the concept?

Daniele Marchesiello: During a guided tour, Vox Aura will enable the guide to offer the group a simultaneous translation of the explanations into four languages – the guide’s language and three others – using a single receiver.

This product should notably appeal to DMCs, cruise lines and OTAs because they can open visit slots in multiple languages.

The tool allows choosing from more than 200 languages available. The guide accesses the settings via an app.

TourMaG – Is this simultaneous translation based on AI?

Daniele Marchesiello :
Yes, we opted to use a global AI that, fed daily, becomes smarter, and can be enriched with input from everyone. However, the server — which controls the AI and reassures the guide that all comments will not be recorded — and the hardware portion were implemented by Vox Group.

TourMaG – How did the idea for Vox Aura come to you?

Daniele Marchesiello :
During the Covid period, Vox chose to invest in technology and growth.

An application was developed for contactless tours, with the addition of translation, but it turned out that not everyone in a group would necessarily use their own phone, so this feature was later transferred to audioguides.

We then developed Vox Aura, which offers the same functionalities as the app but on receivers provided by the guide.



Daniele Marchesiello, directeur général France de Vox Group et Lydia Vallet, directrice commerciale, présentent Vox Aura lors du Forum des Pionniers 2026 en Egypte - Photo : AB

TourMaG – How do guides react when you present Vox Aura? Aren’t they worried about their jobs when they see a tool that can translate in four languages simultaneously?

Daniele Marchesiello: On the contrary. Guides work for tour operators, but they also run their own tours. And now they will have the possibility to assemble groups speaking two languages. It’s also a comfort gain. They no longer have to alternate explanations in two languages during a single visit. It saves time.

TourMaG – The commercialization of Vox Aura will start in August 2026. How did the testing phase go?

Daniele Marchesiello: We officially unveiled the solution at WTM 2025 in London, last November. Since December, we’ve received numerous trial requests, which allowed us to improve the software aspect. Indeed Vox Aura is Internet-connected and updates automatically.

TourMaG – Do clients need an internet connection during their visit to benefit from the simultaneous translation?

Daniele Marchesiello: Not necessarily; it’s enough that the guide’s device is connected. The link between Vox Aura and the receivers is wireless.

We conducted numerous real-life tests with our clients, including cruise lines, OTAs, tour operators, receptive partners, museums, etc.

Among the Vox Aura options is the ability to add information before the visit or the conference. For example, during a tour focused on the churches of Paris, the guide can specify the route or the vocabulary that might be used on the topic. The solution will pre-fetch all terms specific to a church visit, which can be used from a architectural or highly technical perspective.

Another interesting feature: it is possible to require translation of certain words or proper names, or to exclude translation of others. For instance, in Brussels, the Grand-Place isn’t translated as “Piazza Grande” or “Great Place.”

TourMaG – Does this simultaneous translation tool exist elsewhere, with competitors?

Daniele Marchesiello :
While translation apps are multiplying for the general public, the travel industry demands a much higher degree of rigor. In this domain, Vox Group is today recognized as the only player offering a global, fully integrated ecosystem for guiding.


Anaïs Borios Published by Anaïs Borios Journalist – TourMaG.com
See all articles by Anaïs Borios

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VOX Group Propels Guided Tours into a New Era with AI


© VOX Group

Top of Travel



In a tourism sector undergoing rapid transformation, where travelers seek ever more immersive, seamless, and personalized experiences, VOX Group has established itself as one of the most innovative technology players on the global market. For nearly twenty-five years, the group has been developing guidance and cultural discovery solutions that redefine how visitors explore cities, museums, heritage sites and major international events. Present in over 150 countries, VOX Group is today recognized as a global reference in guiding technologies, connected tourist experiences, and innovation in service of culture.

The group brings together several complementary brands: VOX, specializing in group tours and audio-guide solutions; Vox City, dedicated to autonomous itineraries for connected travelers; and Sycomore, expert in multimedia solutions and cultural mediation for museums and artistic institutions. Next-generation audiophones, multilingual content, interactive mapping, mobile applications and now AI-powered simultaneous translation: the technologies developed by VOX accompany today’s tour operators, cruise lines, museums, destinations and event organizers in creating experiences that are increasingly immersive, accessible and connected.


VOX Audiophones, a Global Benchmark for Guided Tours

The core of VOX Group rests on its audiophone systems, which have become a global benchmark for group tours. Designed to meet the demands of modern tourist environments, VOX devices enable guides to communicate with clarity and fluency, even in highly crowded or noisy locations.

The VOX VDR radioguiding systems use patented digital radio technology operating at 1.9 GHz, a band less saturated than the conventional bands used in the market. This technology guarantees stable, interference-free transmission, with a range reaching up to 200 meters. Guides can thus continue their commentary while moving freely, without the need to continually pause the tour to regroup participants.

Beyond audio performance, VOX has developed technology designed to simplify the work of tour operators. The automatic pairing system instantly connects transmitters and receivers as soon as they are in range, significantly reducing the preparation time for tours. Smart auto-sleep features also help optimize battery life, with certain models capable of operating for up to thirty days under an average daily use of three hours.

The devices have also been designed to maximize user comfort. Lightweight, discreet, and easy to wear, they use single-use individual earphones, a more hygienic and comfortable solution than traditional headsets. This approach meets travelers’ new expectations regarding comfort, health safety, and sustainability.

In addition to audio performance, VOX’s true strength also lies in its global operational capability. With more than 55 offices across six continents, the group can quickly deliver ready-to-use equipment anywhere in the world, whether for museums, urban circuits, cruise excursions, or major international events. The devices are configured, tested, and prepared before delivery to ensure immediate commissioning. This logistical organization allows VOX partners to benefit from reliable equipment available quickly, regardless of the destination.


POPGuide, the Autonomous Visit Designed for Connected Travelers


© VOX Group

With the rise of digitalized tourism and personalized experiences, VOX Group has developed POPGuide, a self-guided visit solution that turns smartphones and tablets into genuine interactive guides. Available as a mobile app, a white-label platform, or integrated directly into an existing application, POPGuide enables visitors to access multilingual audio content, interactive maps, and geolocated itineraries directly from their device. Thanks to an auto-play feature, narration is automatically triggered as the visitor approaches a point of interest, delivering an immersive and seamless experience in cities, museums, cruises, or sightseeing tours. It also works offline and can be accessed simply via a QR code, perfectly meeting the expectations of modern travelers seeking flexibility, autonomy, and customization.

For tourism professionals, POPGuide also represents an effective tool to enrich the visitor experience while reducing costs related to physical equipment, printed materials, and logistics.

The solution also includes analytics tools that track visitors’ movements, identify the most frequented points of interest, and better understand audience behaviors. These data provide destinations and tour operators with valuable insights to optimize routes, improve crowd management, and tailor offerings to travelers’ new expectations.


VOX AURA, the Artificial Intelligence that Removes Language Barriers

The group’s latest innovation, VOX AURA marks a new advance in the evolution of guided-tour technologies. Unveiled at WTM London 2025, this device introduces a new way of experiencing tours for international groups. For the first time, visitors of all nationalities can follow a guide’s commentary in their own language in real time, without a smartphone, without an app, without roaming charges, and without the need for an interpreter.

Directly integrated with VOX’s radioguide systems, VOX AURA combines AI-powered simultaneous translation with the ease of use and reliability that have made the brand a global reference in tour guiding.

But the solution goes far beyond simple translation. Developed in-house by VOX Group, the technology rests on a proprietary algorithm capable of interpreting the overall meaning of a discourse rather than translating word for word. Place names, historical references, cultural expressions, or specific terminologies are thus recognized instantly, allowing guides to speak naturally while offering visitors translations that are more fluid and natural.

Designed as much more than a linguistic tool, VOX AURA fits into a broader vision of intelligent travel assistance. Ultimately, VOX Group envisions this technology as a true digital companion for tour leaders, guides, and cruise directors, able to support the logistical management of visits, adapt itineraries in real time, and help professionals deliver ever more personalized experiences.

By combining Italian engineering, global operational expertise, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence, VOX AURA aims to set a new standard of inclusive communication in the tourism and culture sectors. Beyond removing language barriers, this innovation opens up new possibilities for operators, who can now more easily accommodate international groups while offering more immersive and connected experiences.

Made in Italy and backed by VOX Group’s global logistics network, present in over 150 countries, VOX AURA embodies the group’s ambition to shape the future of guided tours through intelligent technologies.



Contact VOX Group