Wand'R has applied to the international "Future of Tourism" program, led by AlUla, STATION F, and Galeries Lafayette. For the young French company, this news represents much more than an opportunity for acceleration. It will allow them to test their tourism experience platform against the needs of an international destination, encompassing heritage enhancement, multilingual reception, visitor journey management, and visitor behavior analysis.
Summary
AlUla wants to become a laboratory for the tourism of tomorrow
Launched in June 2026, "Future of Tourism" is presented as STATION F's first program entirely dedicated to tourism. Ten French and international startups will be selected to receive three months of support in Paris starting in September.
The selected companies will work on several priority issues: visitor experience, management of cultural sites, optimization of flows, artificial intelligence, tourist services and operational efficiency of destinations.
At the end of the program, two startups could have the opportunity to test their solution directly in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, as part of a Proof of Concept. According to the trade press, notably L'Écho touristique, the goal is to develop solutions capable of concretely addressing the transformations in the sector.
The closing date for applications, as communicated by Fabien Sgard, founder of Wand'R, is set for July 29, 2026. At this stage, Wand'R is therefore a candidate for the program and has not yet been selected.
Wand'R wants to go beyond the tourist app model
This application aligns perfectly with Wand'R's positioning. The company does not want to be presented as simply a mobile application. While the application is the visible part for the traveler, it is based on a tourism experience platform designed for destinations, communities, and cultural stakeholders.
In concrete terms, Wand'R automatically reveals the places, landscapes and heritage surrounding the visitor, then triggers content adapted to the right place and the right time, without the need for the visitor to search for it.
The platform broadcasts stories in audio or text, offers itineraries, works offline and accompanies visitors in ten languages.
For destination teams, Wand'R also offers a management environment that allows them to publish content and track interactions by location, language, or route. The goal is therefore not only to better inform visitors, but also to understand their habits, promote less frequented sites, and adjust tourism strategy based on concrete data.
Why this application is strategic for Wand'R
Integration into the STATION F program would first allow Wand'R to test its platform in an international context. AlUla combines heritage, culture, natural landscapes, and upscale hospitality, attracting visitors from diverse markets. This environment would be particularly relevant for evaluating the quality of the multilingual experience and the platform's ability to adapt to complex itineraries.
The program could also help Wand'R strengthen its model with major destinations. Exchanges with the teams at AlUla, STATION F, and program partners would allow the solution to be tested against real operational needs: visitor wayfinding, streamlining journeys, promoting secondary locations, and measuring engagement.
Finally, a potential trial in AlUla would give the company a significant international reference. The Wand'R platform already lists more than 10,000 points of interest across a large part of France. A project conducted outside of France could accelerate its development and demonstrate that this approach is adaptable to very different tourist destinations.
What this changes for destinations
This application illustrates a fundamental shift in TravelTech. Destinations are no longer simply looking for applications that can list places or replace a paper brochure. They now expect tools that can connect content, routes, visitor experience, and management data.
For tourism professionals, the difference is significant. A platform like Wand'R can help to better showcase a region, but also to understand which content is actually viewed, which languages are used, and which routes generate the most interest.
Technology then becomes a decision-making tool. It can help a destination review its itinerary, highlight an unknown site, better distribute visitor flows, or adapt its content to international audiences.
An application to follow after July 29th
Wand'R's selection is not guaranteed, but its application appears consistent with the program's priorities: innovation, heritage, visitor experience, multilingualism and data.
I will therefore be following the announcement of the selected startups with great interest. Being selected for STATION F would be a significant step for Wand'R. The real challenge will then be to demonstrate, on the ground, that a tourism experience platform can both enrich the visitor experience and empower destinations to better understand, promote, and manage their territory.
Do you represent a destination or a cultural player? Discover the Wand'R presentation page and the features of its tourism experience platform.
Content produced as part of an editorial partnership.
Sources
https://stationf.co/news/alula
https://www.lechotouristique.com/station-f-cherche-dix-start-up-du-tourisme-a-accompagner-avec-alula
