World News - Page 35 of 72

Oman, Qatar, UAE: Travel Guidelines for French Travelers

August 16, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le Quai d'Orsay a actualisé ses conseils aux voyageurs pour plusieurs pays du Moyen-Orient - DepositPhotos.com, titoOnz

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While several Gulf destinations remain accessible to French travelers, the Quai d’Orsay is calling for heightened vigilance.

The recommendations vary by country, but French authorities consistently urge travelers to follow local guidelines, to regularly check the information from their airline and to enroll in the Fil d’Ariane scheme before departure.

In Jordan, where the territory is regularly overflown, and at times targeted, by missiles and Iranian drones since July 9, the ministry recommends particular vigilance.

Travelers are urged to heed the alert sirens, to seek shelter immediately in case of an alert and to avoid the Azraq and Mafraq areas, in the northeast of the country.

A particular vigilance is also recommended in the Qatr region (Aqaba). If airspace remains open, travelers are advised to verify the status of their flight with their airline.

Vigilance renforcée dans plusieurs pays du Golfe

To Oman, French nationals are urged to exercise the greatest vigilance following Iranian strikes that targeted the territory.

Travel within the Salalah, Duqm, Musandam regions as well as along the border with Yemen is discouraged unless there is an imperative reason.

In case of an alert, the Quai d’Orsay recommends following the authorities’ instructions, taking shelter and staying away from military or security installations.

The ministry has also updated its recommendations for the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

In these four countries, French authorities urge travelers to demonstrate heightened vigilance, to follow the instructions of local authorities and in case of an incident to stay informed about the progression of the regional situation.

Australia: Iconic Whitsunday Adventures Aims to Expand European Sales

August 16, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

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Iconic Whitsunday Adventures strengthens its commercial strategy on the European market.

The operator, based in Airlie Beach in Queensland, has entrusted its commercial representation and promotion in France and Europe to the Munich-based agency Voice of Travel.

The objective is to develop relationships with European travel agencies and tour operators, notably through targeted commercial actions, webinars and personalized product trainings.

The dedicated B2B contact is Meike Gronegger, Senior Marketing & Trade Relations Manager at Voice of Travel.

The agency notably offers to accompany professionals in discovering and marketing the experiences offered by Iconic Whitsunday Adventures.

Two premium experiences at the heart of the Whitsundays

The operator offers several excursions departing from Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.

On board the Viper, a vessel touted as the fastest in the archipelago, Iconic Whitsunday Adventures presents a nine-hour trip that combines Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet and a snorkeling session on the Great Barrier Reef.

The experience, limited to 36 passengers, includes a guided snorkeling safari led by a marine biologist.

Another flagship product: a full-day sail aboard the Lady Enid, a wooden schooner built in 1962 and restored, which can accommodate up to 24 passengers. This roughly ten-hour experience, for adults only, combines sailing, exploring Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, snorkeling and a gourmet offerings with premium beverages.

The two day trips depart at 8:00 a.m. from the Coral Sea Marina in Airlie Beach. Transfers from accommodations can also be arranged on request.

An offering also focused on sunset cruises

Iconic Whitsunday Adventures also offers a two-hour sunset cruise aboard the Lady Enid. Adults-only, the experience includes a platter featuring local products and an Aperol Spritz.

The Sundowner in turn offers a sunset outing around Airlie Beach, suitable for all ages and capable of hosting up to 48 passengers.

“We are particularly proud to support in Europe a new renowned Australian partner with Iconic Whitsunday Adventures, a family-owned business recognized and certified as eco-responsible“, emphasises Peter Mierzwiak, CEO of Voice of Travel.

Tourism professionals can now contact Voice of Travel to organize product trainings or obtain further information about Iconic Whitsunday Adventures’ offers.

Publié par Amelia Brille Rédactrice TourMaG.com
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Atout France Has Been Hacked: Cyberattack Hits French Tourism Agency

August 16, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

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Atout France dans la lignée de Belambra, Maeva et Gîtes de France - Depositphotos retouchée par l'IA

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tttt The list is long and shows no signs of stopping.
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tttt After the historic wave of hacks that hit tourism in May, revealing a relatively basic vulnerability among several major players in the sector, cyberattacks continue in the tourism industry, without ever stopping.
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tttt And this time, it is the turn of a public institution to have its vulnerabilities laid bare.
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tttt Atout France therefore suffered an attack by a malicious individual who could have extracted, according to their statements, data from approximately 400,000 user accounts.
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tttt Samples, as a gesture of good faith, as is customary on the dark web, have been shared.
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Atout France Following in the Footsteps of Belambra, Maeva, and Gîtes de France

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tttt The hacker claims to have exploited an access-control flaw, i.e., an IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) vulnerability, according to frenchbreaches, as was the case for Belambra, Gîtes de France or Maeva.
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tttt “In French, one could translate that as having a direct reference to an unsecured object.
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tttt That is to say that if a profile, a file or an invoice is stored directly within an application, simply entering the direct address could allow access, even without the proper authorization.
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tttt We are not facing an extraordinarily sophisticated technical exploit, but rather a misunderstanding of security at the human level,” we were told by Christophe Mazzola, founder of the Cyber Academy, in a previous article.
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tttt Beyond this weakness, the consequences can be dire for companies or individuals.
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tttt Regarding Atout France, about 400,000 user accounts would thus be compromised. The attacker(s) would have access to names, first names, roles, emails, phone numbers, billing postal addresses, organizations, member numbers…
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tttt A multitude of information that could feed, in the future, phishing campaigns or other highly targeted malicious actions. Vigilance will therefore need to be doubled in case of emails purportedly sent by Atout France in the days and months to come.
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Pacha Tours and Trenitalia France Also Hacked

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tttt Do not believe that, after the historic wave of hacks that the tourism industry experienced, hackers have lost interest in the sector; quite the opposite.
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tttt Taking advantage, no doubt, of the sector’s cybersecurity weaknesses, the trophies have been many.
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tttt There was, at the end of June, Pacha Tours. The hackers claimed to have extracted 2 GB of data thanks to “a code-injection technique used to modify or retrieve data in SQL databases (tables with rows and columns, ndlr)“, according to Cloudflare.
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tttt Thus, on both the Pacha Tours site and its pro space, the compromised data would concern 31,087 unique individuals, 4,413 unique emails, 3,705 unique phones, 132 cleartext passport numbers, 10,153 PNR codes, and 1,096 B2B agency accesses with passwords in clear text, according to the attackers.
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tttt But that’s not all, because Trenitalia France also suffered a similar misfortune.
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tttt The malicious actors gained unauthorized access to certain personal data of customers related to ticket purchases. This attack has been confirmed by the operator.
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tttt An email campaign was sent to the company’s customers.
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tttt It reveals that the information in the pirates’ possession includes: civil and identification data (buyer and passenger names, passenger date of birth); contact data (email address, phone number); travel data (information associated with the transport ticket, such as itinerary, travel date and time, ticket number); type of offer or service linked to the transport ticket and data needed to benefit from these offers.
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tttt Moreover, the attackers claim to have extracted data from 60,568 user accounts, as well as metadata from Smartbox agreements or e-signature documents.
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tttt “We really need to roll up our sleeves and get to work, because this kind of data leak, in Europe, we are truly among the few who know this story.
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tttt I work a lot in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Belgium; there, this isn’t as common. France is acting as the delinquent student,” Christophe Mazzola explained to us.
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New Summer Features for the IGN Maps Mobile App

August 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Outdoor enthusiasts and fans of local discovery have their ideal travel companion.

The IGN has significantly enriched its public mapping service by launching a major update, designed to facilitate the exploration of France and its overseas territories.

This «Summer Pack» notably stands out by offering a new ultra-precise high-definition map called “Plan IGN HD”.

Available exclusively on the app, it covers more than two thirds of the French territory, including DROM, and reveals with remarkable clarity the relief, the built environment, and the vegetation to provide a highly immersive reading of the space.

In addition to this technical advance, one of the most awaited features by the hiking community is added: the ability to overlay the routes of marked hiking trails (PR) and long-distance trails (GR) on any map background, including aerial photographs.

A comprehensive tool, blending guided hikes and the local cultural calendar

L'application mobile Cartes IGN passe en mode estival avec son nouveau « pack été ». Extraits du nouveau Plan IGN HD - Illustration : IGN

In addition to refining the geodetic display, the platform becomes a genuine travel guide thanks to the deployment of a thematic layer named “Idées rando”.

This contains over 6,000 walking, horseback riding, or cycling routes carefully selected and accompanied by a detailed editorial presentation to help each user choose according to their desires and physical level.

The other strength of this summer edition lies in the ongoing integration of local events provided in real time by the various French tourist offices.

Whether it is traditional markets, open-air concerts, or village festivities, the app brings together a wealth of ideas for cultural and festive outings across the entire national territory to help plan holidays while discovering the richness of each region’s heritage.

Also read: Cartes IGN: a free app to explore France

Travel Compositor Integrates AskIA with AI Trips to Streamline Travel Booking

August 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Travel Compositor poursuit le développement de son offre basée sur l'intelligence artificielle - Depositphotos.com, toppercussion

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Travel Compositor, the Spanish publisher of booking engine solutions for online leisure travel distributors and a subsidiary of the Travelsoft group, announces a new evolution of its AI Trips platform.

Named AskIA, this feature introduces a conversational interface enabling users to design, quote, and book a complete itinerary from a simple description of their travel project.

The company explains that this evolution aims to limit the steps of the booking journey, by reducing the number of clicks and simplifying the choice among the different offers available.

A booking guided by conversation

Unlike a traditional search engine, AskIA relies on a conversational approach.

Users describe the desired trip, for example a multi-week circuit or a stay tailored to specific preferences, and the artificial intelligence automatically generates a customized proposal.

The solution selects the various services needed for the trip and then allows finalizing the booking in a few steps. According to Travel Compositor, the entire process can be completed in three clicks.

The tool is capable of assembling different tourism products within a single booking, including flights, accommodations, transfers, activities, insurance, car rental, rail journeys or tickets for various services.

A rollout reserved for Premium Innovator customers

This novelty will initially be offered at no extra cost to clients participating in the Premium Innovator program. They will benefit from early access to this feature as part of its launch.

For Travel Compositor, this integration marks a new milestone in its AI-driven strategy for travel booking.

Alongside the arrival of AskIA, Travel Compositor also unveils Smart Filter, a feature intended to improve the display of search results for hotels and transport.

This intelligent filter should help travelers identify more quickly the options deemed most relevant, with the aim of streamlining searches and improving the user experience across the company’s various booking engines.

Publié par Amelia Brille Rédactrice TourMaG.com
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DIGITRIPS at IFTM — Booth F054

August 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

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Three complementary solution universes serving professionals

The DIGITRIPS group will showcase its three solution universes at IFTM, each tailored to meet the specific needs of players in travel distribution:

DIGITRIPS Pro

Are you a travel agency seeking an easy-to-use tool to sell your stays? Discover DIGITRIPS Pro, the B2B booking platform that simplifies access to a multi-sourced offer (Accommodations, Flights, Dynamic Packages, Car Rentals, Transfers). If you already have your platform but want a broader inventory of travel products, explore our APIs solutions!

DIGITRIPS Partners

Are you a digital player who wants to sell travel on your platform? The DIGITRIPS Partners teams will also be present on the stands for the full three days of the show to present the full range of white-label solutions.

DIGITRIPS Tech

Are you involved in hotel distribution and looking to enrich your offering while keeping your direct contracts? Come discuss the Hotel Direct Access connectivity and distribution solutions from DIGITRIPS Tech. Since its inception, DIGITRIPS Tech has quickly established itself as the hotel connectivity expert, with solutions to connect, aggregate, and orchestrate hotel content distribution.

Destinations: the DIGITRIPS advertising arm

Looking to boost your destination’s visibility on the French market? DIGITRIPS has become a preferred partner for leading Tourism Offices seeking to raise awareness among French travelers. Discover actionable campaigns at stand F054 or by scheduling a meeting with Marketing Manager Virginie Delforge.

A dedicated team ready to assist travel agents

During the entire IFTM salon, from September 15 to 17, 2026, visitors at the stand F054 will have the opportunity to meet the DIGITRIPS commercial teams and experts from the DIGITRIPS ecosystem. The DIGITRIPS Pro team will be particularly present:

• Jean-Michel Rey, the new BtoB France Commercial Director

• Sarah Amani: BtoB Sales Account Manager for Île-de-France, Northeast, and Réunion

• Julien Lausse: BtoB Sales Account Manager for Southeast, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana

• Magalie Gagneux: BtoB Sales Account Manager for Northwest and Corsica

• Jean-Pierre Carteau: BtoB Sales Account Manager for Southwest

How can you better sell dynamic city trip packages? How can you maximize your margins on sales? How can you better manage airline offers? All of them will be on hand to answer travel agents’ questions, offer personalized demonstrations, and discuss the specific challenges of each agency.

The IFTM show will also host DIGITRIPS’ supplier teams this year: Flight teams for airline content, Hotel teams for accommodation and land content, as well as the advertising arm.

This proximity to tourism professionals is at the heart of DIGITRIPS’ philosophy: in a digital world, human interaction remains essential! The teams will be available to support both independent agencies and networks or major accounts, with tailored recommendations.

To Win: the iconic DIGITRIPS suitcases!

The legendary DIGITRIPS suitcases are back and getting a makeover! As every year, travel agents will have the chance to participate daily in a contest to win a suitcase. This year, the design gets a refresh: waterproof fabric and colors yellow or navy blue for the winners!

To participate, it’s simple: a QR code will be available directly at the stand F054. In just a few seconds, visitors can try their luck and, if drawn, leave with equipment that will prove useful for their upcoming business trips… or personal getaways.

Airplane tickets to win every day at the stand

In addition to the suitcases, DIGITRIPS will also run a raffle at its stand that will attract many: every day of the show, two airline tickets will be up for grabs.

This daily operation is organized in collaboration with three partner airlines of DIGITRIPS: Air Austral, Air Europa, and Royal Air Maroc. A wonderful way to highlight the partners of DIGITRIPS and offer a unique experience to visitors over the three days of the show.

DIGITRIPS’ IFTM Opening Evening: Off to Alberta!

Retrouvez DIGITRIPS à l’IFTM au stand F054 !

In over ten years of anticipation by tourism professionals, the legendary annual DIGITRIPS evening returns on the opening day of IFTM once again.

For the 2026 edition, DIGITRIPS innovates by partnering for the first time with a tourism office… and not just any one: heading to Alberta, in Canada, for a unique thematic immersion into North American vast landscapes!

The must-attend annual event:

• Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM

• In Paris with an Alberta immersion

• A mood blending cowboys and the northern lights

• Surprises await participants throughout the evening!

A promising evening combining celebration, discovery of a Canadian destination, gifts and surprises… organized in partnership with IFTM, Xplorassur, Travelport and the Travel Alberta tourism board.

Booking Holdings Reorganizes Its B2B Business

August 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Booking Holdings réorganise son activité B2B - Depositphotos.com Auteur Primakov

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According to Skift, Booking Holdings plans to create a new entity devoted to B2B.

The forthcoming structure will bring together the B2B teams of the three brands: Booking.com, Agoda and Priceline, in order to offer a unified proposal for partner businesses. The project is currently supervised by Omri Morgenshtern, Agoda’s chief executive, who had previously led the platform’s partnerships and B2B sales activities.

The American media outlet notes that this new organization will take the form of a genuine legal entity. The Booking Holdings teams are still working on the regulatory and HR aspects of this reorganization. At this stage, neither the head of this future entity nor its launch date has been announced.

Booking aims to ride Expedia’s success in B2B?

Still according to Skift, this reorganization comes a few weeks after the launch of BKNG Ads, a joint advertising platform allowing partners to access the audiences of Booking.com, Agoda and Priceline through a single entry point.

Among Booking Holdings’ B2B partners are notably Apple, Microsoft, Citi Travel, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Emirates, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

Skift recalls that Expedia Group, considered the worldwide leader in this market, posted in Q1 2026 a 25% increase in its B2B revenue, versus 8% for its consumer-facing activities.

Jean-Michel Rey (Digitrips): Simplifying Travel Agencies’ Day-to-Day Operations

August 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

TourMaG – You joined Digitrips a few months ago, after a long career in tourism. What inspired you to begin this new chapter?

Jean-Michel Rey: It’s been several years now that I’ve been active in this industry, where I had the chance to perform a variety of roles. This diversity of experiences has given me a lot of knowledge, and I’m delighted to share it with Digitrips, which I joined at the beginning of April.

Why Digitrips? It’s a company that has always piqued my interest. I have followed its development in recent years with close attention, especially since I already knew several members of the management team.

That was additional encouragement to follow its news. I knew this company was in tune with the times, and I was not mistaken. Today, I’m discovering a company driven by very strong momentum.

TourMaG – Digitrips is a distinctly tech-oriented company, whereas you come more from tour operating, distribution or even accommodation…

Jean-Michel Rey : Precisely, Digitrips brings together a lot of talent and diverse skills.

Today, the company rests on three main areas of expertise: the air activity from MisterFly, the hotel sector with HResa, and the technology developed by Koedia.

These three entities are now united under the Digitrips brand. It is a multifaceted company, operating in several lines of business.

And I’m fortunate to have practiced nearly all of these roles before, but in different companies. Today, I can find them all within a single structure.

Jean-Michel Rey surrounded by TourMaG editorial staff - XP Photo

TourMaG – The Middle East conflict has significantly disrupted the market since late February. How did Digitrips navigate this period?

Jean-Michel Rey: In terms of air activity, we obviously faced a crisis period. We had to organize repatriations with our partners, travel agencies and tour operators, in a context that was never straightforward. It was also essential for airlines to cooperate.

Next, we entered a period of wait-and-see. Air bookings slowed a bit, but ultimately less than we feared, despite higher ticket prices.

In terms of accommodation, where we specialize in leisure stays, we paused more than in business travel, which remains largely domestic and thus was less affected.

However, we are recording double-digit growth in a particularly promising activity for us: the dynamic package.

Digitrips: “We want to keep enriching the dynamic package”

TourMaG – Is the dynamic package a major focus of development?

Jean-Michel Rey : Yes, of course. We want to continue enriching this solution with new features and new possibilities for travel agencies.

Today, I no longer need to persuade anyone of the value of the dynamic package. Everyone now understands its benefits.

For the client, it guarantees a trip fully customized by their travel agent. For the agent, it’s the ability to manage their margin, to freely choose their products while relying on a reliable partner for organizing the trip.

It is therefore a product that provides both security for agencies and real resilience.

TourMaG – The market seems to be rebounding since June. Do you also see this recovery?

Jean-Michel Rey : We did observe it in June, following a May that had been very weak, which was fairly expected.

Since the start of July, the trend has been somewhat less favorable. We aren’t really witnessing the last-minute rush of reservations that some might have anticipated. The business should rather build up gradually.

TourMaG – Over the course of your career, have you observed a significant shift in the expectations of travel agencies?

Jean-Michel Rey : Yes, mainly driven by technology, which is now present throughout our industry.

We practice a profession where the human relationship remains essential. It’s important to preserve that dimension. But technology also brings us a lot in terms of time savings, productivity and profitability.

Our challenge is therefore to offer solutions that are increasingly comprehensive while staying easy to use.

We regularly conduct barometers with our client agencies. One of our latest surveys showed that a travel agent could use up to eight different tools during a single workday, from Google to their back-office.

Our aim is precisely to leverage our proprietary technology, which we develop entirely in-house, to simplify their daily lives and offer them a true one-stop shop, whether they want to book a flight, a hotel, or both.

A new partnership with Selectour on the accommodations side

Hotel central: Digitrips Pro partner of GIE ASHA

Since July 1, 2026, the group has integrated the ASHA GIE’s commercial selection as a partner hotel central, thereby giving agencies within the Selectour and Havas Voyages networks direct access to its Digitrips Pro platform.

Digitrips was already a partner of the Havas Voyages network; this agreement extends its collaboration to Selectour and thus to the ASHA GIE. The agreement also provides for the integration of DIGITRIPS solutions within the payment centers of the group and a gradual rollout across the entire Selectour ecosystem.

The group will also strengthen its presence at the major events organized by the Selectour and Havas Voyages networks, whether at sales force meetings, congresses, or promotional activities.

“This partnership marks a new milestone in the development of DIGITRIPS within the French tourism distribution. The trust placed today by the GIE ASHA confirms the relevance of our vision: to develop innovative technologies and high-quality product and service offerings that meet the needs of travel agencies,” says Nicolas Brumelot, cofounder and president of DIGITRIPS.

“We are convinced that the integration of DIGITRIPS will strengthen our accommodations offering and provide our agencies with a powerful, easy-to-use solution tailored to the expectations of our advisers. This partnership fully aligns with our strategy of selecting the best tools to serve our networks,” states Laurent Abitbol, president of GIE ASHA.

Trip.com Group and Seat Unique Group Partner to Launch a Premium Events Offering

August 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Trip.com Group et Seat Unique Group s'associent pour lancer une offre d'événements premium, photo by Trip.com group

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Trip.com Group et Seat Unique Group ont conclu un partenariat mondial pour proposer des formules d’hospitalité officielles et des expériences VIP à des millions de voyageurs internationaux.

Cette collaboration répond à l’augmentation des déplacements touristiques liés aux événements musicaux et sportifs, les données de Trip.com Group indiquant d’ailleurs que 66 % des voyageurs de la région Asie-Pacifique ont déjà planifié des vacances à l’étranger pour assister à un concert.

L’accord permet désormais d’intégrer de manière fluide des billets VIP pour de grands concerts, des matchs de football ou des Grands Prix de Formule 1 directement sur la plateforme de réservation.

Robin Sherry, PDG de Seat Unique Group, souligne l’importance stratégique de cette alliance : « La façon dont les gens voyagent évolue. De plus en plus, l’important n’est plus seulement la destination, mais les expériences vécues sur place. En nous associant à Trip.com Group, nous offrons à des millions de voyageurs l’accès à des expériences premium officielles lors de certains des plus grands événements sportifs, musicaux et de divertissement au monde, via une plateforme qu’ils connaissent déjà et en laquelle ils ont confiance. »

Cette collaboration permet aux voyageurs de réserver des prestations d’hospitalité issues directement d’un réseau de plus de 140 détenteurs de droits officiels.

Pour ces partenaires (clubs de football, organisateurs et salles de spectacle), l’accord ouvre un canal de distribution direct auprès d’une très large audience internationale planifiant déjà des séjours vers le Royaume-Uni et l’Europe.

A direct distribution channel connected to the major players in sports and entertainment

L’offre premium qui sera déployée sur Trip.com dans les prochains mois s’appuie sur des relations directes avec des entités de premier plan telles que l’Arsenal FC, le Real Madrid, l’AC Milan, l’Everton FC, Co-op Live, KMJ Entertainment ainsi que la majorité des Grands Prix de Formule 1.

De plus, Seat Unique Group bénéficie du soutien de figures du sport et du divertissement via des structures comme The Players’ Fund et The Artists’ Collective. Parmi ces soutiens figurent notamment Harry Kane, Ben Stokes, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill ou encore Jack Whitehall.

M. Bo Sun, directeur marketing de Trip.com Group, résume cette ambition : « Le voyage axé sur l’expérience redéfinit la manière dont les gens planifient leurs séjours. Les voyageurs organisent de plus en plus leurs excursions autour des moments qui comptent le plus pour eux. Les événements en direct illustrent parfaitement cette évolution. Grâce à ce partenariat, nous permettons aux fans de se rapprocher de certaines des expériences les plus passionnantes au monde dans les domaines du sport, de la musique et du divertissement. »

Audiophones: Vox Group Reaches Milestone with Simultaneous Translation

August 14, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

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.

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

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