The couple are given in three years to find a common main brand

An unprecedented crisis. Afat Voyages and Selectour Voyages have loved any other context while members of two cooperative networks of travel agencies pronounce this afternoon on their unpublished draft terms of merger. Announced in April, it in is not less relevant because it is a major step forward in the consolidation of the French market for the distribution of tourism products as well as business travel, which represents approximately 70 of their activity.

In the hypothesis where all members subscribe to the new set, first travel agencies in France network, meet, effective January 1, 1,150 points of sale to 570 members. Overall, its annual business volume associate projection (estimated 2009) EUR 2.9 billion, including 1.2 billion for the air ticketing and 800 million for the resale of tour packages. The couple are given in three years to find a common "main" brand.

"Offensive" operation

Exceeding their rivalries - not always very peer - and the strong culture of their respective "homes", the Shu'afat and Selectour opted for "offensive" operation, faced with a double competitive pressure: on the one hand, the business travel market is dominated by two great actors, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) and American Express. on the other hand, gives has changed to the hexagonal Tower operating since the establishment, in 2007, the Mastodon Anglo Saxon-German TUI Travel and the resounding rise of the French subsidiary of Thomas Cook Group, another European giant of Anglo Saxon-German origin. TUI Travel controls two of the main French tour operators, the diverse group new frontiers and Marmara. For two years, they multiply synergies in terms of distribution, production tourism and air transport. Agencies new frontiers network sells rather complementary production of Marmara. Meanwhile, specialist of the package to "tight" price placed on the long-range over-water, hence he it was disengaged, in relying on the Corsair company new frontiers.

But, more French pole of TUI Travel, it's especially Thomas Cook France that figure as a scarecrow for a little more than a year. His redemption, in summer 2008, Jet tours to the Mediterranean Club, was a shock, especially as his strategy was clear: develop and integrate more and more tourism distribution and the "tour operating.

Competition exacerbated

In this field, Thomas Cook France has also just to reaffirm its desire to be number 1 in 2012 with by where its market share of 12 to 20, a share that Marmara considers hold with a small number of destinations. Sign of a radicalization of relations with the new block Shu'afat-Selectour, the French subsidiary of Thomas Cook has threatened to denounce - from October 31 - all contracts teaches with their 56 labeled agencies Jet tours, unless the owners decide to join the Thomas Cook network

In this context of exacerbated competition, the consolidation of the French travel market is far from completed. Like deBertrand Mabille, CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel France, many professionals consider that "the crisis will be an acceleration factor". For its part, the pattern of CWT France expects first consolidation among the tour even if they "have not today Editor's note, financial arguments to put on the table".What does no alliances with distributors. Thus, the CEO of Transat France, Patrice Caradec, openly positions the French branch of the Canadian operator Transat A.T., which holds particular Look Voyages and Vacances Transat, as "third pole" which can articulate partners.Fram also wants to play this role with, however, an unknown of size: its capitalistic future remains outstanding.