In its plan to rescue French tourism in May 2020, the government had, between billions of euros in direct subsidies and billions in investment aid, hidden a poisoned gift for the Bank of the Territories: it demanded the creation of“A platform for valuing data relating to the French tourist offer [visant] to strengthen the coordination, management and articulation of offers (…) and [qui] could constitute a tool of digital sovereignty ”. Fifteen months later, the Caisse des Dépôts subsidiary gave birth to a platform that many, in the French tourist ecosystem, are already predicting – wish? – failure.
The object is called Alentour and its ambition is more modest than what the initial press release promised. There is no longer any question of competing with the large international online travel agencies (OTA) – Booking, Airbnb or Expedia -, nor of renewing a direct link with the customer. With Alentour, the Banque des Territoires is sticking to an objective that is both modest and immensely complex: to structure, digitize and sell tourism activities in France. The platform does not retain accommodation, transport or catering, but rather those activities and experiences that the French traveling within their borders have been popular for eighteen months.
This sector is very fragmented – 120,000 to 150,000 “producers of activities” in France, according to Alentour. Its products are therefore complex to distribute. Even the American OTAs, despite their budgets for purchasing keywords on Google, are breaking their teeth so far. It represents a substantial volume of business – estimated at 22 billion euros annually – of which only 5% come from online reservations. “When we arrive at our vacation spot, the activities are not so easy to find: either you search on Google, or you go to the tourist office”, notes Olivier Sichel, director of the Bank of the Territories.
Local distrust
In recent months, Mr. Sichel has seen many smirks on the faces of professionals. “A lot of skepticism”, he admits unvarnished. Around enters a battlefield. Dead in action: France Guide, ResInFrance, Hexatourisme, Le Bon Guide, France.fr… All national attempts to market the French tourist offer have failed, sometimes at great expense. To avoid the crash, Alentour enlisted the expertise of the former general manager of the Abritel vacation rental platform, Timothée de Roux, and Amadeus, a Spanish giant in the distribution of hotel and airline services. .
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