5Continents has been in business officially since 2017, but, according to its founding president, David Boigne, “the company’s history began well before that.”
We spoke with the man who founded 5Continents, which aims to be a one-stop shop for travel agents who want to build a vacation itinerary for both groups and independent travellers by focusing on the human relations and experience of its team.
“When I arrived in Quebec in 1994, I worked for an inbound hotel for 10 years under the caring wing of Marie Côté and then I was general manager of a specialized tour operator which belonged to the Intair group. José Leroux allowed me to become a shareholder in the Inter group. The company was then sold to Thomas Cook and then to TravelBrands and I remained vice president of specialty brands for several years. In 2017, I finally decided to build a new business that fits my vision."
David remembers the outpouring of solidarity from the industry when he announced his departure, which, in fact, was a new beginning. “When I told customers and suppliers that I was leaving, they told me no, no, we have projects in the coming years, you have to be there to help us. So I created something to be closer to travel agents. Here again, these are people who are behind this new part of my journey, Michele Landry, Uma Somia, Lidia Boscariol, Dylan Lall have been my guideposts throughout the journey. You will understand why for me human relationships are the basis of everything."
5Continents is pleased to announce that Le Boat has joined its portfolio. (Photo Credit: Photo: 5 Continents)
A development that makes sense
5Continents was originally supposed to ensure the Canadian presence of certain international suppliers for groups, but, with demand continuing to grow, the team as well as the service offering were enhanced. The company has signed contracts with several travel agency networks.
During the pandemic, the company was relatively young, but growing very (maybe even too much?) quickly. The pandemic break will therefore have allowed 5Continents to stop and start better, on more solid foundations.
“Honestly, I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to keep up with the model we had, the company was growing too quickly. We protected all agent commissions during the pandemic and worked hard on certain projects that we hoped to develop, so the pandemic forged lasting relationships and solidified our business model. We emerged from the pandemic with an even more solid structure,” explains David.
The result: 5Continents quintupled its turnover in 2023 and the company now has 16 employees.
“Before the pandemic, faced with enormous growth, we had a house built on stilts, after the pandemic we went out on a house with solid foundations, I really like to say that we have one of the oldest teams in the industry . We are all experienced professionals, and today 5Continents is a boutique-style tour operator where technology is not the most important, but where human relations are prioritized."
According to Davig Boigne, we overestimate the contribution of technology to business, and we underestimate human relations, which is nevertheless the key to our industry.
5Continents sells 95% of its products à la carte, collaborating with travel agents and what they want to sell to their customers. The company has agreements with most suppliers, but recently added Aurora Expeditions while CroisiEurope gave them the mandate of representation in English Canada.
“We have a lot of exciting news coming,” concludes Mr. Boigne, “a lot of announcements are in progress. It's all thanks to travel agents! Every time I see booking confirmations come in, I pinch myself. They have the choice to book elsewhere, but I know we do a good job and are super dedicated. For us, it’s the human side of the business that makes the difference.”
“Our corporate culture is my priority, and I am extremely proud of it,” he concludes.
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