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IN BRIEF
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The online travel specialist Hello Travel embarks on a new phase of its history following its acquisition by Altaï Group. This merger, the amount of which remains confidential, relies on a strong complementarity between a pure-player known for its traveler communities and a travel operator with a network of agencies in 28 countries. Backed by Genairgy, a long-term investor, the new entity aims for 100 million euros in revenue by 2027, combining e-commerce excellence, digital marketing power, and on-the-ground expertise. The brands Les Aventureurs and Copines de Voyage thus gain direct access to local agencies, ensuring enhanced control over the customer experience, while Altaï Group strengthens its social media capabilities and consolidates its business within a B Corp and co-construction logic.
With the support of Altaï Group, Hello Travel is starting a strategic transformation that goes beyond mere capital integration. The project revolves around upgrading digital pathways, strengthening local operations, and establishing governance focused on customer value. The goal: to combine the agility of an online player with the operational mastery of an agency network present in 28 markets.
This “new look” materializes in a recalibration of the offering in small groups, a promise of a better-controlled experience “from start to finish,” and a finer use of data from communities to enrich itineraries. Without venturing into announcing purely cosmetic markers, the transformation first claims a fundamental requirement: to make synergies a lever for quality and sustainable growth.
A complementarity that exceeds the transaction
Both companies advocate an alliance logic where complementarity prevails over mere financial logic. Altaï Group, born in 2015 from the merger of several brands accumulating over 30 years of experience, brings rare operational capability in the digital realm. Hello Travel arrives with proven expertise in acquisition and community engagement on social networks, as well as a product culture centered on travel in small groups.
Two DNA, one playground
On one side, Altaï Group and its network of local agencies ensure production, logistics, and operational safety. On the other, Hello Travel has forged an identity as a pure player through engaged communities and formats designed for clearly identified audiences: thirty-somethings from Les Aventureurs and female groups from Copines de Voyage. The new entity aligns around a common vision: to create a visible and differentiating group in organized adventure travel.
Genairgy, discreet catalyst of the rapprochement
The human dimension has been crucial. The meeting between the leaders during the COVID period laid the groundwork for a relationship that was initially commercial and then strategic. Genairgy, a specialized investor in sports leisure and a shareholder of Altaï since the mid-2000s, acted as the intermediary. After acquiring a minority stake in Hello Travel in 2021, the investor facilitated a rapprochement deemed relevant by all parties.
Far from a quick exit logic, Genairgy is focused on the long term and supports an ambition for a more virtuous tourism. The recent B Corp status of Altaï Group illustrates this trajectory, with structuring commitments regarding impact and governance. The merging of cultures has thus taken place around a foundation of shared values and a willingness to co-create.
Concrete benefits for traveler communities
The brands Les Aventureurs and Copines de Voyage now benefit from direct access to 28 local agencies of Altaï Group. This concretely translates into a shortened value chain: in-house production of itineraries, monitoring of providers, responsiveness to unforeseen events, and increased quality control on the ground. The travel experience gains in coherence, from online inspiration to on-site execution.
For the communities, the advantage is twofold: a promise of authenticity nurtured by local teams, and the ability to iterate faster on products thanks to feedback. Itineraries designed for small groups can be finely adjusted based on the expectations of an audience seeking encounters, appropriate pacing, and operational safety.
E-commerce, marketing, and ground: the winning triangle
Hello Travel brings its mastery of digital pathways, e-commerce, and social marketing, while Altaï Group brings its production processes, local teams, and execution robustness to the table. The expected result: a more readable brand, better-segmented offers, and consolidated commercial performance. For Altaï, it is also an opportunity to strengthen its presence on social networks and diversify its model, stabilizing activity across multiple channels.
An ambitious trajectory: 100 million euros by 2027
The leaders aim for 100 million euros in revenue by 2027. An ambitious target that relies on increasing the average purchase, expanding destinations, optimizing acquisition costs, and strengthening direct sales. The amount of the operation not having been communicated, management will focus on synergies of scale and a fine allocation of resources between marketing and production.
Beyond the announcements, success will depend on a methodical integration: unifying CRM tools, merging data for a unique customer vision, harmonizing service standards, and the capacity to industrialize what needs to be while preserving customization where it creates value.
A more responsible and long-term model
The B Corp logic of Altaï Group influences the common roadmap: transparency, social impact, environmental responsibility. Without replacing local certifications or partner commitments, the ambition is to advance the value chain towards more responsible practices, relying on local engagement and internalized production.
For Hello Travel, this approach is part of a natural evolution: listening to communities, co-creating tailored experiences, and measuring the real impact of travel. The convergence with Altaï‘s standards constitutes an accelerator for structuring and perpetuating these efforts.
Market trends and new avenues of expression
The community travel market continues to structure around thematic experiences, short formats, and a strong influence from social networks. Engagement campaigns are multiplying, and in the ecosystem, operations like free travel contests, with points and thematic stays, illustrate the creativity of brands in capturing new audiences.
The strength of Hello Travel lies in its ability to transform this audience into customers and influencers. With the support of Altaï Group, the company can now more closely connect inspiration, conversion, and execution, placing its communities at the heart of the value chain.
And now? The priority projects
Operationally, the time is for consolidation: aligning catalogs and prices, integrating systems, cross-skilling local and digital teams, and formalizing a common framework for service quality. On the customer side, the challenge is to offer seamless pathways from the first click to the return from travel, highlighting the uniqueness of the proposed experiences.
On the brand side, Hello Travel can capitalize on a clear editorial identity, inspiring content, and a close community relationship, while Altaï Group strengthens its international visibility. The combination of the two DNAs paves the way for a more readable, demanding, and better-distributed offer.
