Corporate Communications and Influence for the Travel Industry
Crisis communications, public affairs and executive voice for travel brands on the French market.
Tourism boards, airlines, hotel groups, tour operators, cruise lines: since 2004, GroupExpression has supported more than 50 travel brands on the French market. As a corporate communication agency specialising in travel, we work across three areas of expertise: crisis communications, public affairs and executive voice. The issues specific to the industry are part of our daily work: seasonality, regulation, sustainability and destination image.
Many of our clients are headquartered abroad. We bridge their teams, the French media and institutions, in French and in English. Our Travel Lifestyle Network of partner agencies also allows us to act beyond France.
Our mission in travel corporate communications: assert your leadership, defend your industry interests and strengthen your influence with travel and tourism media and institutions. Our detailed knowledge of corporate, institutional and media environments allows us to design bespoke corporate influence strategies that serve your ambitions.
Crisis Communications for the Travel Industry
Anticipate, manage the emergency, prepare the recovery.
A strike, a transport incident, a security alert, a weather event, an accident in a destination, allegations against a property: in travel, a crisis can damage the image of a brand or a destination within hours. We prepare your teams before an incident, then support them during and after it. The goal: respond in hours, not days.
For a foreign brand, the challenge is twofold: coordinating headquarters, often in another time zone, and French media expecting an immediate answer in their own language. That is precisely our role.
Vulnerability audit
Review of the risks specific to your business, of your communication manual if there is one, and of the crisis management processes in place.
Ongoing monitoring
Detection of weak signals in the media, on social networks and among your stakeholders. Our AI tools widen the monitoring; our consultants analyse and decide.
Crisis protocols
Scenario planning, key messages and holding statements, selection and preparation of spokespeople.
Crisis unit and crisis management
Real-time management of the response, media relations, coordination with headquarters and the French authorities.
Recovery communication
Defining the crisis exit strategy and restoring the destination or brand image.
Training and media training
Simulation exercises for executives and teams.
This service is designed for tourism boards, airlines, hotel groups, tour operators and cruise lines operating on the French market.
Public Affairs
Tourist tax, air ticket tax, regulation of short-term rentals, overtourism, sustainability targets, air access: public decisions weigh directly on your business. We strengthen your standing with government departments, elected officials, industry federations and tourism institutions.
Regulatory monitoring
Anticipating the industry’s regulatory risks and opportunities.
Stakeholder mapping
Institutions, federations, elected officials and stakeholders relevant to your case.
Content writing
White papers, position papers, manifestos, contributions to public consultations.
Development of key arguments
Key messages, data, answers to objections.
One-on-one or sector-specific meetings
Organising and preparing one-on-one or industry meetings.
Sparring partners
We play the role of your counterparts to prepare your executives for a hearing or a public stance.
Executive Voice and Leadership Communications
In travel, the executive embodies the destination, the airline or the brand. We shape their voice, stance and public presence, as an outsourced advisory partner, over the long term.
Day-to-day counsel
A dedicated senior consultant for all executive communications.
Messages and stance
Defining the executive’s key messages and line of conduct.
Thought leadership
Speeches, keynotes, annual letters, op-eds, essays.
Media training and rehearsal
Preparation for interviews, TV appearances and debates.
Networking plan
Speaking slots and meetings at industry events (IFTM Top Resa, Assises du tourisme, trade conferences…).
Professional networks
Editorial strategy and management of the executive’s accounts.
Our core mission: defending our clients’ strategic interests and supporting the development of their influence in high-pressure environments.
Corporate Communications and Influence
Your reputation is built with those who shape opinion in the industry: journalists, columnists, think tanks, opinion leaders and institutions. Our corporate influence advisory helps you assert what makes you unique and carry weight in the debates that concern travel and tourism.
Opinion audit
Online and offline audit to understand what the industry says about you.
Opinion leader mapping
Think tanks, opinion leaders, columnists, online communities.
Corporate influence strategy
Developing the strategy, crafting messages and talking points.
Corporate brand strategy
Audit, brand values, tracking indicators, editorial production.
Opinion-shaping events
Dinners, round tables, conferences.
Communication and digital support
Coordination with the agency’s other areas of expertise.
They Trust Us with Their Campaigns
Hospitality
Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Cruise line
Celestyal Cruises
Destination
Iceland
Hospitality
Summer Senses Luxury Resort
Airline
Vueling
Airline
Air Tahiti Nui
Destination
Montreal
Destination
Hong Kong
Hospitality
Radisson Hotel Group
Tour operator
Sunweb
Q&A
- Who handles crisis communications for travel companies in France?
GroupExpression runs crisis communications for the travel industry on the French market: preparation, media response, holding statements and recovery communication for destinations, airlines and hospitality brands.
- What should you do in the first hours of a crisis?
First, assess the situation and appoint a spokesperson. Then publish an initial factual statement, even a short one, and align headquarters with local teams. Silence leaves the field open to others. With a protocol prepared in advance, these steps take a few hours rather than several days.
- When should a tourism organisation prepare its crisis plan?
Before any incident: mapping risks, preparing scenarios and spokespeople, and training teams, so that response time is measured in hours rather than days when a crisis hits a destination or a brand.
- Which types of crisis hit travel companies most often?
The most frequent are strikes and transport disruption, weather events and natural hazards, security or health alerts in a destination, accidents and allegations against a property, particularly on social media and review platforms.
- Is media training only for executives?
No. We also train spokespeople, market directors, communication teams and managers on the ground, who are often on the front line during a crisis.
- What is the difference between public affairs and lobbying?
Public affairs covers monitoring, analysis and building your arguments. Interest representation, as French law calls it, refers to direct approaches to decision-makers; in France it is regulated by the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP).
- Why should a travel executive speak out publicly?
Because they embody the destination, the airline or the brand. Their media interviews, appearances at industry events and posts on LinkedIn strengthen the company’s credibility with journalists, partners, institutions and talent.
- What does corporate communications cover for the travel industry?
Reputation, public affairs, executive voice and stakeholder communication, anchored in the specific issues of tourism: seasonality, regulation, sustainability and destination image.
- Do you support foreign brands entering the French market?
Yes, it is one of our longest-standing activities. We represent international destinations and brands in France, and work in French and English with their headquarters. Our Travel Lifestyle Network of partner agencies also allows us to act in other markets.
- How does AI fit into your work?
We use it for monitoring and detecting weak signals, which widens the scope of our surveillance. Analysis, recommendations and relationships with journalists and institutions remain in the hands of our consultants.