Interview with Joaquim Capdevila, Managing Director

Tell us your story. How did Bracap Global Tours get started?
I was approached by a British wholesaler based in London to join them to develop Europe as a growing destination for them, as they were specialised only in the UK market, but they also received educational tour requests across Europe. So, I joined them back in 2008 and based in my native city, Barcelona, we started working on group programmes to any country in Europe, offering local ground services such as airport transfers, accommodation, guided tours, tickets to local attractions, meals, technical visits and so on.

In 2015 we decided to split the companies amicably, as the British wholesaler were mainly interested in the UK needs, while Bracap Global Tours had (and still has) the whole of Europe to deal with.

What makes Bracap Global Tours different from your competitors?
This is a tricky question to answer, as all the adjectives I could use to answer have become meaningless as they are so overused. However, if I must choose one that best describes our work philosophy as a team, it would be reliability. We don’t suffer from vertigo when our service is being compared to the big guys in this industry, as we deliver the service our clients expect from Bracap Global Tours.

What is your favourite success story from your organisation?
My answer here is that we don’t have a single success story to highlight, but what we are most proud of is that Bracap Global Tours has never lost a single client. Once our clients try our services, they stay with us, and this, believe me, is what makes me more satisfied than anything about the service our company provides.

What can we expect to see from Bracap Global Tours in the future?
Bracap Global Tours is working hard on becoming more sustainable, designing itineraries ensuring that our services are provided through a sustainable value chain that respects the environment and brings a social return to the local communities we send groups to.

How do you work to ensure the health and safety of young travellers involved with Bracap Global Tours?
We only work with reliable partners with whom we have a long-term relationships, and who we trust to take health and safety seriously. We conduct private audits to check that the health and safety regulations are all in place.

What was your motivation to join WYSE Travel Confederation?
I’ve first known you guys in January 2018 when I attended STAY WYSE and was impressed by the seriousness and quality of the event. We then attended WYSTC 2018 and STAY WYSE 2019, which clearly confirmed to us that it could benefit our brand to be part of WYSE Travel Confederation. I’m excited to see where our membership takes us this year.

What is an industry challenge your organisation is facing currently?
As detailed in question number 4, our main challenge as a company is to become more sustainable. Another challenge within our 2020 agenda is to show locals how tourism is not the problem, but part of the solution. If we bring added value to the local communities we send groups to, we’ll fight against the anti-tourism feeling that is being spread among major cities in Europe such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Venice…