Why is Corsica Canyon working with Manawa?

Vincent Pinto is Manawa's Sales Director. Previously Regional Manager France for the booking website, he helped launch the venture in 2015. A keen skateboarder, splitboarder and snorkeller, he has tried out many of the sports offered on the website.

Why does Corsica Canyon offer canyoning in the Aiguilles de Bavella, Corsica, on Manawa?

Corsica Canyon is THE canyoning specialist in Corsica! Their base is in the Aiguilles de Bavella in southern Corsica, near the villages of Solenzara and Zonza. For over 25 years, Sauveur, the company's director, and his team have been offering visitors the chance to explore the most beautiful canyons in the Bavella mountain range: Pulischellu, Purcaraccia, la Vacca and Sapare.

Vincent: Hello Sophie! Could you tell us who you are, what you do at Corsica Canyon and what the company does?

Sophie: I've been working at Corsica Canyon for nearly 15 years now. Corsica Canyon is a family business that has been in existence for over 25 years, run by my father-in-law, Sauveur Grisoni. We offer canyoning trips for clients of all levels in the Bavella mountains. My official job is that of administrative assistant, so I'm a bit of a jack-of-all-trades: I deal mainly with bookings, but also with accounts, relations with partners, sending out mailings, estimates and invoices, and customer reminders, among other things.

Vincent: Could you tell us more about the company's history?

Sophie : It was Sauveur who set up the business over 25 years ago because, as a guide, he knew the canyons of the mountain range very well. Initially, we offered other outdoor activities in addition to canyoning, such as kayaking and hiking, but canyoning became increasingly popular, so we decided to refocus on this activity and on water-based excursions in Bavella. We now offer five of them: the Pulischellu, Purcaraccia, Vacca and Sapare canyons, plus another 'secret' route which is local knowledge, not offered by other partners, and designed especially for groups. This allows us to relieve some of the congestion in the other canyons and increase our range of experiences for young people and adults.

Vincent: Do you remember when you started working with Manawa?

Sophie: From memory, it seems to me that the first contact dates back to 2017. You called us to tell us about the site and how it worked. It was very new for us to work with partners outside our local network. We started working together very quickly, in the summer of 2017, and within the first year we already had quite a few bookings coming in from Manawa. I remember that it worked very well from the start and since then our collaboration has continued to improve.

Vincent: And before you started working with Manawa in 2017, did Corsica Canyon already offer online booking to its customers?

Sophie: No, at the time, we hadn't yet moved towards online booking. We worked the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. It was quite complicated, but we succeeded, and that wasn't so long ago! When I think about it now, I'd be scared to go back! [Laughs]

Vincent: And do you currently work with other online retailers?

Sophie: Yes, but they're small structures that operate locally. We don't work in the same way, with the same targets or the same level of expertise when it comes to marketing our activities online.

Vincent: Do you remember what made you want to try out online booking with Manawa?

Sophie: Manawa seemed to us to be a solid structure that we could trust. And our contact with your team came at just the right time: we were beginning to feel the need to communicate on the Internet to reach a wider audience. Before, we only communicated locally with flyers, billboards... We weren't really visible outside Corsica.

Vincent: What were your experiences of the first few years of the partnership, particularly in terms of managing bookings?

Sophie: At the very beginning, it was a bit complicated for us because our booking system was limited to a simple notebook and pen. This made it difficult to respond quickly to all the availability requests we received from Manawa. But when we decided to take the plunge and equip ourselves with a booking software, we realised that we could process requests much more efficiently. In any case, we had to get into IT. We quickly realised that the two solutions - working with Manawa to reach more customers, and an online booking software to manage our entire schedule - were perfectly complementary.

Vincent: Great! In terms of exchanges with the Manawa teams, were things as good in 2017 as they are today?

Sophie: Yes, things have always gone very well with the whole team. You're very responsive, and I think that's essential for the type of partnership we have, especially when it comes to managing last-minute bookings.

Vincent: Did creating your activity pages seem easy or complicated at first?

Sophie: No, it was pretty easy for me. I'm from the Internet generation, so I've never had any problems with it.

Vincent: You mentioned that bookings from Manawa have steadily increased since 2017. Could you tell us a bit more about the quantitative gains you've seen from working with Manawa?

Sophie: I think that today, without Manawa, we'd have 30% fewer customers. It's a very good partnership and we're really on a win-win basis.

Vincent: How do you see bookings developing over time?

Sophie: We have both more direct sales and more bookings from Manawa, so I think both are moving in the right direction. For a while now, there have been restrictions on canyoning to protect the mountain range, so at certain times of the year only professionally supervised outings are allowed... As a result, demand is higher. I also think that the Covid years have changed the sector and had a lasting impact on consumer habits: people want to go on holiday more often, to treat themselves, to be outdoors... More people are coming to Corsica, and I imagine that you, at Manawa, also have more demand for outdoor activities.

Vincent : Yes, I agree! The outdoor activity sector is evolving and becoming increasingly popular. In fact, it's now March and I've seen that we're already starting to get the first bookings for the summer season, which is just around the corner. Do you find that Manawa helps you to smooth out the seasons a bit?

Sophie: Yes, absolutely, you help us a lot before and after the season.

Vincent: You also said that Manawa helped you reach a more international clientele?

Sophie: Yes, that's clear. In terms of the origins of our customers, we have a lot of Germans, for example, and quite a few foreigners in general who use Manawa, and who we wouldn't be able to reach otherwise.

Vincent: I think that this year, with the Olympic Games, we'll also have a lot of foreigners coming to France and taking the opportunity to discover Corsica.

Sophie : Yes, it's possible! Our seasonal guides speak different languages: French, English, German, Spanish, Italian... So we're all set!

Vincent : Great. I think the guide is really the most important thing for customers who want to do an outdoor activity. It makes all the difference.

Sophie: Yes, and the good thing about us is that we have guides who come back every year, and customers who come back too and ask us: "Can I have this guide or that guide for my outing?", because they really enjoyed their first experience and the connection they formed. I think that returning customers are also reassured when they see that the people supervising the activity don't change.

Vincent : How many people work at Corsica Canyon?

Sophie: During the season, we have eight guides, including Sauveur. Then there are two of us working 'behind the scenes', in charge of planning, bookings, partnerships and other administrative aspects.

Vincent: Sauveur told me that this year there was also investment in equipment?

Sophie : Exactly. We've renewed our wetsuits and for the last 2 years we've been hiring out shoes. You have to renew and reinvest every year - it's important. The wetsuits come with a safety helmet and rucksacks to carry them... Quality equipment improves the customer experience, increases safety, and reassures the guides too!

Vincent: I imagine that guide recruitment at Corsica Canyon is going rather well?

Sophie: Yes, frankly, things are going very well. We have guides who come back every year, which is great for us. We're lucky enough to work in Corsica too: we've got the mountains, we've got the sea, we've got magnificent scenery... In terms of quality of life, it's really ideal, so that inevitably makes them want to come back.

Vincent: I can imagine! I know this is never a simple question, but if you had to sum up what Manawa brings you in three key points, what would you say?

Sophie: I'd say efficiency and speed, firstly because you're super-responsive and we save a lot of time managing bookings and customer requests. And I'd also say that you give us a lot of online visibility.

Vincent : What do you think we could do to improve our partnership?

Sophie: I know you have a customer service team available during weekends, but perhaps you could have a direct line for partners during weekends too? Even if we manage very well with customer service for emergency management.

Vincent: Yes, that's true, that's an important point. For me, the next stage in our partnership is the API connection with your reservation system. Today our customer service agents enter bookings manually into your system, which already saves you a lot of time, but I think we could be even more efficient! And that way, customers would also receive instant confirmation of their bookings.

Sophie : Today, managing bookings with Manawa saves us an enormous amount of time. We don't have to do anything ourselves. After that, it's true that immediate confirmation would create value for customers... That's surely the next step, as you say!

Vincent: I'm curious, do you know what Sauveur would say if we asked him what he thought of Manawa?

Sophie: Today, Sauveur tells me that we can't do without Manawa. It's a very positive opinion. Even though he doesn't monitor bookings on a day-to-day basis, at the end of the month or at the end of the season, he looks at the figures and realises that Manawa is now one of Corsica Canyon's essential partners, given the sales figures you report.

Vincent: I'm really pleased to hear that! We too are very satisfied with our partnership. So would you recommend us to other professionals in the sector? [Laughs]

Sophie : Of course! 100%.

Vincent : Great! Now let's talk about the sport and the destination... I know you're not an instructor, but how do you see canyoning developing in Corsica over the next few years?

Sophie: I think that the destination will continue to grow in popularity, so there may be restrictions on access to other parts of the mountains range. At the moment, only one route is regulated, the Purcaraccia, but I think the other routes could be too. After that, I also think and hope that the seasons will become smoother and smoother, and that we'll have people not just in July and August, but really from April to October. For me, that's a good thing, not only for the fragile ecosystems of the destination, but also for the customer experience, because we'll be able to welcome them even better.

Vincent: At Corsica Canyon, you're aware of the impact that peaks in visitor numbers can have on your destination. I imagine you're thinking about solutions?

Sophie : Absolutely. The Bavella mountain range is where we work, so it's essential that we contribute to its preservation. Restricting access is sometimes necessary, but it's not easy to implement such solutions. We see this in other regions and countries too... The first step is to involve politicians and think together about local initiatives that could be put in place. Then it's crucial that individuals also become aware of the importance of respecting these places. I think that progress has been made in recent years, and that we need to continue to move in this direction.

Vincent: Apart from the environmental aspect, restricting access during the high season also helps to limit accidents ...

Sophie : Absolutely. It's important to be accompanied by a guide who knows the terrain well. Sometimes people go off on their own or as a family, with small children, without asking about the weather or the length of the hikes beforehand, and without the appropriate equipment... I think that as professionals, we have a job to do in terms of teaching people how to avoid this type of situation.

Vincent: After 15 years with Corsica Canyon, have you noticed any changes in the customer profile?

Sophie: Yes, things are changing. Over the last ten years or so, we've had customers who are really passionate about outdoor activities. Most of the time, these are people who pay a great deal of attention to the environment, who will ask us questions about the mountains, the ecosystem... Our guides are there to ensure the safety of the activities, of course, but also to share their knowledge with customers and offer them an enriching experience. It's a real exchange where everyone can learn, enjoy nature to the fullest and, above all, have a great time!

Vincent: As far as the level of expertise of your customers is concerned, in addition to the experienced customers who come back every year, do you get a lot of beginners, people who want to try canyoning for the first time?

Sophie : Yes, we get a lot of requests from families with young children, and that's why we've opened the Sapare aquatic hike, which is an excellent introduction for children aged seven and up. We make a real distinction between canyoning and aquatic treks: the latter are mainly a 'pedestrian' progression in the water, whereas canyoning trips are much more sporting, with jumps, obstacles, slides...

Vincent: Do you have a favourite canyon among those you offer?

Sophie: My favourite is the Vacca canyon. It's very wild compared to the other routes. It's very deep, you're surrounded by huge rock faces and you feel really small. It's magnificent.

Vincent: Finally, could you tell us about your best experience in the world of canyoning? Your best memory?

Sophie : For me, discovering canyoning at the age of 18 was a real revelation, a way of discovering Corsica in a different way. Although I've always lived here, I was mainly familiar with the seaside aspect of the island. I didn't know the interior of Corsica at all, even though we have some breathtaking landscapes! Canyoning was also a way for me, who's not very sporty, to push my limits. I have some very fond memories, and even some very funny videos of my early days with Sauveur. I was very scared of the jumps at the time, but he left me no choice, and today I have to admit that it was an incredible experience.

Like Sophie and Sauveur, you too can join the first booking site dedicated to outdoor and adventure activities by proposing your activities on Manawa.com: Join us!