“Before, coffee was worth it for everyone, but now personalization rules when traveling”

by time news

Passionate about travel, despite his training in industrial engineering, David Hernández threw the blanket over his head in 2017 and created Pangea, the largest travel store in the world, located at number 26 Príncipe de Vergara street in Madrid. It was just the beginning of an adventure that continues to break the mold today.

It has strengthened its expansion with stores that make a difference. Where are they present?

Now we have four large spectacular spaces: in Madrid, with 1,500 square meters; in Barcelona, ​​with 1,700 and a restaurant with a terrace; in Bilbao, with three glass floors, and in Valencia, in the heart of the city.

What figures do they handle?

In 2022 we invoiced close to 50 million euros, tripling the sales of 2021 and 60% above those of 2019. More than 20,000 travelers trusted us.

In the era of digitization and e-commerce, his formula works. What is the secret?

In the last 12 months, layoffs have been announced on the large digital platforms. The world is cyclical. The Internet is here to stay, but many of us change our habits. When the boom in online tools took place in 2008, we felt very proud of organizing our own trips. The first time is fun, the second time too, but not the tenth… And we don’t have enough time to spend more than 50 hours preparing a far away and complex trip, like Costa Rica, Japan, Tanzania, the USA or the Maldives. .. In an agency they solve it for you in 30 minutes with all the guarantees and professional advice. That is priceless.

Before the price was what made the difference and now what we prioritize is the service?

Yes. We are in the era of service and now we prioritize the trip more than the price. Technology should facilitate the process, but people are the ones that make the difference. And we have already verified that the price can be the same on the internet as in a physical agency. Let’s see if we think that Booking, to say one, has no margins! That you always find the cheapest on the internet is not always true. For a difference of five or ten euros, it is not worth giving up the after-sales service, the security, the customization that we offer…

For such experiential trips, is offering that personalization the determining factor?

We talk about five levers and the first of them is that personalization. Twenty years ago, coffee was worth everyone and the client chose between three or four options from a catalogue. Now each trip is tailored to the client in all segments.

And the other four?

The first is the experience in the store, and that is why we have this spectacular space that in 2022 had a turnover of 30 million euros, becoming the travel store with the highest turnover in the history of Spain. Now we can buy everything from the sofa at home, so if we want people to return to stores we must offer them an experience in them, and that is what we promote at Pangea. The second leg is technology in two senses: to improve the customer experience and to make the business more efficient. The third is the service, that is, the human being who advises you. We have expert professionals in diving, volcanoes, safaris… anything you can imagine. And the fourth is the price. We have come to democratize tailor-made trips.

What is your customer profile?

30% have already traveled with us and repeat. The repetition rate from one year to the next is 70%, which is outrageous. There are 15-20% of customers who come in and ask for a product because they see us on the street. And the other 50% are people who know us through digital channels and end up coming. These people fill out an online questionnaire and based on their interests and characteristics we find the best advisor for them. That is why we say that we are the “Tinder” of travel, because we make sure that the person who attends you will be the most suitable for you.

The pandemic has made us travel more eager than ever. What prospects do they have?

Very good. In this first quarter we are doubling figures from 2022. There has been a structural change that is already unstoppable in which we have changed priorities and now traveling is one of those preferences. This year we expect to be close to 70 million euros and for now the sales for the first quarter are spectacular.

What challenges remain?

The big challenge now is technology. We have been developing a global technological tool for a year that aims to help further digitize the sector. We will launch it at Fitur 2024. That is the path, because without technology it is absurd to grow. The second great challenge involves reaching new cities, such as Seville, Malaga or Zaragoza, as well as opening franchises in smaller cities in the national territory. And then grow internationally. We hope next year to announce that we have crossed the pond and that we are in Latin America.

Wind in the stern and full sail…

The idea is to become the largest travel agency in the world, but not by having a physical store of 1,500 square meters, but by being in all countries. That is our healthy ambition.

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