150 sub‑regions replace 30 countries
Europe is set to welcome more than half of global international arrivals in 2025, according to UN Tourism, piling summer pressure on popular sites. To avoid fuelling over‑concentration, the bespoke travel platform is pivoting to hyper‑regionalisation, shifting from roughly 30 countries to nearly 150 sub‑regions. The aim is to spread demand more evenly by highlighting lesser‑known but high‑potential areas and encouraging experiences that are more locally rooted. Evaneos, founded in 2009, says the move is designed to rebalance flows while maintaining the quality travellers seek.
The platform is being reworked to surface more localised and more immersive itineraries. For each region, Evaneos targets several dedicated routes and at least one specialist local agency, accessible from its different European markets. Its network of “ultra‑local” experts is being strengthened, with new training cycles to help partners build capability. The roadmap also includes coherent trade‑offs: minimum stay lengths and the scrapping of short city breaks by plane.
‘Another Europe exists’
The company is tackling inspiration at source, seeking to shift the travel imagination beyond capitals and iconic spots. “For a long time, Europe’s travel imagination has fixated on a handful of iconic destinations,” said Aurélie Sandler, co‑CEO of Evaneos. “Our role today is to show that another Europe exists: more regional, more surprising and often more of a change of scene. AI, of course, plays a key role in this shift,” although, the company stresses, final trip design remains anchored in on‑the‑ground human expertise. “At Evaneos, we believe deeply in this complementarity: using technology to open up the field of possibilities, and human expertise to give travel depth, nuance and emotion,” Sandler added.
‘More embodied and more distinctive experiences’
The shift forms part of a decarbonisation roadmap developed with consultancy Carbone 4. It rests on four levers: travelling closer to home; substituting some flights with rail; reducing emissions at destination; and lengthening stays. Hyper‑regionalisation is intended to ease pressure on hotspots while reshaping the customer experience. It also answers demand trends that favour fewer crowds and more meaning. “What we are seeing above all is a growing desire to live experiences that are more embodied and more distinctive, and that is where a region‑by‑region approach really makes sense,” Sandler said. According to the company, some less‑exposed European destinations such as Wales and England are seeing strong growth this summer, with up to twice as many requests as in 2025.
The roll‑out of the sub‑regional approach will begin gradually from summer 2026 across the brand’s main European markets. Meanwhile, the Overtourism Index developed with Roland Berger serves as a compass, steering demand away from the most exposed areas in peak season without sacrificing the quality of experience travellers are looking for.
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