Interview Words of Pros: Alexandre Alary, Director of DGT Formations and DGT Academy, co-founder of Desti'Durable.
For several years, Alexandre Alary has established himself as one of the most committed voices in sustainable tourism in France. A trainer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Desti'Durable, he supports professionals in the sector with a pragmatic and human-centered approach to change. Through DGT Formations, DGT Academy , and his collective initiatives, he advocates for meaningful, tangible, profitable tourism rooted in local communities.
Summary
"Sustainable tourism has moved from talk to action."
InfosTourisme.com: Since the creation of DGT Formations, how have you seen the perception and implementation of sustainable tourism evolve in France?
Alexandre Alary: Initially, sustainable tourism was often perceived as a constraint or a niche topic reserved for a few highly committed players. Today, it has become essential. The real evolution lies in the shift from words to action. Professionals are less focused on ticking boxes and more on understanding how to integrate sustainability into their core business without sacrificing commercial effectiveness. Maturity is clearly progressing, even if much still needs to be structured.
"Sustainability must be concrete, clear, and desirable."
InfosTourisme.com: You often emphasize the need to make sustainable offerings concrete, clear, and desirable. How do you integrate this approach into your training and support programs?
Alexandre Alary: We always start with practical experience. Sustainability shouldn't remain an abstract concept, but rather address very concrete problems: selling better, telling a destination's story better, and better meeting customer expectations. In our training programs, we work with real-life cases, itineraries, and lived experiences. The goal is to provide immediately applicable tools, without jargon or a moralizing tone.
"Three key skills: sincerity, analysis, cooperation"
InfosTourisme.com: In 2026, what do you think are the key skills that tourism professionals absolutely must develop to remain efficient and credible?
Alexandre Alary: Three skills seem essential to me. First, a strengthened, more qualitative, and more sincere customer relationship. Second, the ability to design products based on a genuine impact analysis, and not just on rhetoric. Finally, communication: controlled, authentic, and aligned with the realities on the ground.
And beyond that, we must learn to work within an ecosystem. Sustainable tourism is built collectively with local areas, service providers, committed partners, and institutions.
“DGT Academy: a dynamic platform rooted in the daily lives of professionals”
InfosTourisme.com: You created the DGT Academy to make training more accessible, flexible, and engaging. What feedback have you seen?
Alexandre Alary: The DGT Academy is first and foremost a space designed to meet very concrete needs expressed by agencies. We're seeing strong demand for meaningful destinations and eco-responsible tour operators. Beyond training, the Academy is becoming a solutions platform: carbon calculators, tools to save time on quotes, indicators for managing business… The feedback has been very positive. The platform is also designed as a management and engagement tool for network leaders and tour operators, who can privatize the tools, structure their sessions, and rely on key indicators.
One telling point: connections are happening early in the morning, late at night, and on weekends. This shows that training must adapt to the real-world pace of professionals.
"Desti'Durable: learning differently, on the ground"
InfosTourisme.com: Desti'Durable is experiencing a real surge in popularity. What, in your opinion, accounts for the success of this immersive familiarization trip format?
Alexandre Alary: Success is based on total immersion and a community-oriented approach. It's not a typical familiarization trip, but a dynamic training program for travel advisors, product managers, and agency directors. Participants discover a destination from an eco-responsible perspective, but with direct relevance to their profession.
Each destination becomes a learning ground. The exchanges, the sharing of experiences, and the development of expertise create a unique dynamic. The format is clear, structured, and immediately actionable. Everything experienced becomes professionally applicable. Desti'Durable provides a clear, structured, and directly actionable process for designing, presenting, and selling high-value, responsible travel experiences.
"Commitment and profitability are not mutually exclusive."
InfosTourisme.com: You often talk about territorializing sustainability. How can we achieve a balance between commitment and profitability?
Alexandre Alary: We need to stop pitting the two against each other. A sustainable project firmly rooted in its local area is often more economically resilient. The key is consistency between the message, the practices, and the price. When the customer understands what they are buying and why, the value is perceived, and profitability follows.
"Three major trends for 2026"
InfosTourisme.com: As a member of the steering committee of the Village of Sustainable Initiatives at IFTM, what major trends do you identify for 2026?
Alexandre Alary: Three trends are emerging. First, a demand for concrete and measurable solutions. Second, an interest in destinations that are committed to a path of progress, however imperfect. Finally, the rise of hybrid formats combining training, innovation, and networking.
"B2B media that helps with decision-making"
InfosTourisme.com: At InfosTourisme.com, we are launching new practical tools for professionals (interactive reports, benchmarks, industry pages). How do you perceive this development?
Alexandre Alary: This is a very healthy development. Professionals need media that do more than just inform, but that help them make decisions, compare options, and structure their actions. Collaborative and analytical tools are essential to support the sector's skills development.
"Start with your core business"
InfosTourisme.com: If you had to give just one piece of advice to a professional who wants to make their business more responsible without losing performance?
Alexandre Alary: Start with your core business. Don't try to transform everything at once, but gradually improve what already exists, with consistency and honesty. Sustainability isn't a sudden break, it's a trajectory.
"It is the women and men on the ground who are driving sustainable development forward."
InfosTourisme.com: Finally, on a personal note, what encounter or project has most marked you?
Alexandre Alary: Above all, it's the people, at every level, who create and embody meaningful tourism. Destination management companies, agencies, startups—sometimes very discreet, but crucial. I'm thinking in particular of Fatima Faivre and François Piot from the Prêt à Partir network , who are very committed. And three women who particularly inspire me: Aurélie Berthet Orengo ( Voyage Sauvage ), for her rigor and passion for animal conservation; Emilyne Chaumont , founder of Elstarecon and co-founder of Desti'Durable , for her proactive approach and unwavering commitment; and Caroline Debonnaire , with Vision Éthique , for her approach to responsible and authentic travel. These journeys give meaning to my own commitment.
Key points to remember
- Sustainable tourism is no longer an option, but a collective path forward.
- Training must adapt to realities on the ground.
- Commitment and profitability can go hand in hand.
- Immersive formats like Desti'Durable accelerate the rise in expertise.
- Sustainability is based first and foremost on people and local synergies.
Article published as part of the Words from Pros – updated January 2026.
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