Terre Entière: production refocuses on pilgrimages

Last June 5th, Michel Olivier, CEO of Intermède, was designated by the Paris Commercial Court as the buyer of Terre Entière, that was then undergoing judicial review.

Three months later, the first synergies between the two TOs are being implemented. “The six former employees of Terre Entière that we managed to integrate into our production and sales teams are happy to enjoy a new start, comments Michel Olivier, Executive Director of Terre Entière, on 10 rue de Mézières, in Paris (6th arrondissement).

“I was truly enchanted by this agency with its large window when I first visited it with Hubert Debbasch, who was looking for a buyer at the time, remembers Michel Olivier.

We did some renovation work on the storefront, display sign, and window, in order to make it our primary commercial address.

The inside will be barely modified, we are maintaining its spirit.”

Two consultants will be in charge of the sale of pilgrimages, others will sell cultural stays.

This distinction can also be found within the group’s new production.

The Terre Entière brand is refocusing on pilgrimages with a website that is entirely dedicated to these types of trips.

In fact, faithful clients received a brochure devoted to those trips, in an Italian format.

The cultural stays similar to those at Intermèdes were regrouped in one single brochure.

“We incorporated new products such as a cruise on the Duro, or an itinerary in Bach’s footsteps, specifies Michel Olivier.

However, we did not preserve the chartered cruises, this is a risk that we don’t want to be the only ones accountable for. We are only maintaining the programming of several events cruises.”

Likewise, Intermèdes does not have the vision of selling destinations that are warned against visiting by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as was practiced by the former team of Terre Entière who would do so with its trips of geopolitical nature.

Michel Olivier is taking it step by step, with his primary goal of staying loyal to Terre Entière’s tradition. “Hubert Debbasch, the former PDG of Terre Entière, is helping us to manage the transition, especially with the pilgrimages portion, he adds.

But we have not fixed a short-term objective. We will need time to solidly reconstruct Terre Entière. Especially since the requests for refunds from some of the clients are still being processed.

Logically, these clients will wait to be reimbursed before leaving again. We are aware that the transition will be difficult, if not we would have rehired the company’s 15 employees.”

Aside from Terre Entière, Michel Oliver anticipates concluding the 2015 year with growth, but less compared to 2014.

“After the attacks in January, we experienced an empty period. It was a rather complicated time until April. After that, all of our range of products (music, gardening, history, architecture etc.) were quite successful."

The TO is now looking towards 2016, with the preparation, amongst others, of an event cruise in Patagonia scheduled in the Fall of 2016 (p.1 of the brochure.) Reservations will open starting October 1st.