The new French expedition company Exploris was born of a long-standing love of exploration. Created under the impetus of Philippe Videau and a team of experts, Exploris symbolizes a desire to pass on this passion for incredible destinations.
Officers, guides and naturalists: like the flag of its first ship, all Exploris teams are French-speaking. Expeditions are limited to less than 140 passengers, and even to less than 120 in the polar regions. This intimate format allows for an intense, exclusive and personalized experience, with less waiting during disembarkation and more time ashore.
After its inaugural cruise, Exploris is on deck to spotlight this prestigious ship.
Today Travel-Insight talks to Philippe Videau, President and Founder of Exploris, about the preparations for this cruise.
1- Could you briefly introduce yourself and Exploris’ mission?
My passion for the sea has shaped my life and my career. After 10 years as a merchant navy officer, in 1988 I founded the world’s first expedition cruise company, La Compagnie des Îles du Ponant. After steering the company for almost 20 years, followed by 10 years on the Supervisory Board, I moved into other fields, before finally returning to my first love. In 2021, a new project is born with the creation of Exploris, alongside an expert and passionate team.
Exploris’ mission is first and foremost to restore the value of people and emotion to the expedition cruise industry. Above all, it’s about sharing our passion for expeditions and turning our passengers into true explorers, making them aware of the beauty of the destinations we visit, and turning them into ambassadors for these regions. Passing on our enthusiasm and sharing a unique and enriching human experience with our on-board teams is what drives us every day.
2- How is your rollout going on the French market?
Everything is going wonderfully well, and sales have been open since September 2022. We are now present with many specialized tour operators and travel agencies. We are also distributed in Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Canada. Our inaugural cruise at the end of December 2023 continues to fill up.
We are also actively preparing the Summer 2024 season, which will take our explorers to the British Isles, the Norwegian fjords, the Arctic with Spitzbergen and Greenland, as well as Iceland, the St. Lawrence in the middle of an Indian summer, and French Guiana.
3- How did the preparations for your inaugural cruise go ?
All our teams were mobilized to make this launch an unforgettable event. Our commitment is, and will remain, to turn our passengers into true explorers, to satisfy their desire to travel elsewhere, and to make them aware of the beauty of the world. We have also launched our “Committed Education” program, aimed at young people in the populations we visit who are far from employment or in precarious situations. In partnership with NGOs such as ARCA in Brazil, the company will enable young people in ‘Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism’, ‘Bridge/Machine Navigator’ or ‘Tourist Guide’ training programs to benefit from a professional training program. These young people will be able to benefit from practical experience on Exploris One through a 2 to 3-month apprenticeship in contact with the qualified and passionate onboard team. The first trainees will come from Brazil for the southern hemisphere season, followed by students from Africa and Greenland for subsequent cruises.
To ensure an exceptional experience for our passengers, we have also forged partnerships with prestigious players such as Michelin-starred chef Jean-Yves Guého, who will lend his expertise to create refined menus highlighting the flavors of the destinations we will be visiting. For added well-being on board, we’ve teamed up with Codage, a contemporary cosmetics house chosen for the expertise of its beauty artisans. We’ll also be calling on EPC Le Champagne Épicurien for the champagne served on board. And last but not least, passengers will have the opportunity to be accompanied by experienced, professional photographers, thanks to our partnership with the Zeppelin photojournalist agency.
4- Who are your targets?
The target traveler is first and foremost a lover of nature and its riches, who wishes to combine relaxation with discovery, and who is a fan of smaller vessels and the more intimate, welcoming atmosphere that characterizes them. We target both couples and families, as well as solo travelers.
5- How do you want to differentiate yourself from the competition?
First and foremost, the size of our first ship. Our cruises are very intimate, limited to a maximum of 144 passengers (120 for the polar zones) for greater freedom and flexibility. This intimate format allows for an intense, exclusive and personalized experience, with less waiting during disembarkation and more time ashore. Then there’s the guarantee of a single language of communication on board: we’ll be 100% French-speaking, with top-of-the-range services. We also offer stopovers in the most remote areas, where few people go, for new and unforgettable experiences. Our stopovers are accompanied by naturalist guides, with a ratio of 1 guide for every 12 passengers (10 in polar zones), well below the regulatory norm, which also allows us to adapt and access areas without port access. What’s more, our expeditions will be “all-inclusive”, including open bar and land excursions on many of our stopovers.
We have also introduced a concept of “augmented travel”. While the Exploris experience certainly takes place during the expedition, everything is done to ensure that the journey begins as soon as the booking is made and continues beyond disembarkation: interaction with passengers before the cruise, meetings with the teams, sharing of experiences and photographs, and maintaining contact when passengers return…
6 – Did you take CSR issues into account when creating Exploris?
I’m going to quote our raison d’être, which is the foundation of our existence and perfectly sums up our determination to make environmental and societal issues an integral part of our DNA.
“Aware that we must do everything in our power to ensure that future generations have the chance to experience the same expeditions that we offer today, we at Exploris, under French flag, claim a balanced vision of the company between performance, individual fulfillment and respect for the blue planet and the beings that inhabit it.
With our passengers, we share exceptional experiences that commit us to taking action to contribute to sustainable tourism.”
Our many commitments to the future take into account our desire to make our contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and to join various collective programs, notably ATR (Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable), aimed at guiding our actions towards greater sustainability. Our aim is to offer our passengers unforgettable yet responsible journeys, right from the start of their expeditions.
We have also been elected members of several associations that organize and regulate tourism in the polar zones, including IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) and AECO (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators).
