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International payments
Deniz Ugur runs the Swiss travel company Bentour, which is now in its second generation and more successful than ever. He explains how modern technology and growth are needed to succeed in a challenging industry.
With its headquarters in the center of Zurich, Bentour Reisen is particularly focused on “travel for fans of the Mediterranean” as Deniz Ugur explains. During the conversation, he quickly makes it clear that Bentour is more than a traditional travel agency. “Travel agencies are the local partners at the tour operators’ destinations. Bentour Reisen also has links with all major online travel portals and sells trips directly as well.” With his company, Ugur places a strong emphasis on customer contact. “We want to make our customers happy. This specifically means that we take care of our guests at the destinations ourselves. We ensure this, for example, with our own tour guides and our own transfer drivers.”
Noticeable shortage of skilled workers leads to new ideas
Listening to CEO Deniz Ugur, it quickly becomes obvious that a smooth travel experience is not just lip service for him. “Travel is important for our customers to be happy. During the pandemic in particular, we observed how important travel and mobility are for our society.” Ugur has noticed a significant change in travel behavior since the pandemic. “Travel is booming like never before. It’s not just leisure travel that’s becoming more popular, but also workcations, i.e. merging work with a vacation.”
Although Ugur is pleased by the high demand, he also feels the effects of the shortage of skilled workers. “We cannot find specialists for our specific software system in Switzerland. That’s why we’re turning to Germany and Turkey. For this reason, we’re unexpectedly very well positioned internationally as well. As a Swiss company, this makes us competitive and even stronger than ever.”
This international approach creates a lot of opportunities but also brings new challenges. For example, Bentour Reisen faces volatility from the euro and Swiss franc. “The euro is our main purchasing currency, while our sales are in euro and Swiss francs. Thanks to the good cooperation with ۶Ƶ, our house bank, we’re able to individually balance the risks for ourselves and to systematically pursue our strategy in constant dialogue with ۶Ƶ”, explains Ugur.
Together we identify opportunities and risks and find the right solution for each issue. This is how we support you during each phase to achieve your goals over the long term.
Cleverly managed international payments
Bentour Reisen processes international payment transactions using the ۶Ƶ Gateway Account, allowing it to actively manage liquidity in euro beyond Switzerland. This gives Bentour customers the opportunity to conveniently make payments to a German IBAN at intra-European conditions. As for the company, it benefits from the fact that European payments can also be processed easily and reliably from Switzerland.
Company growth at a record level
By consistently expanding its sales network and product portfolio, Bentour Reisen has experienced strong growth in recent years, culminating in a 40% increase in sales last year. “Growth like Bentour Reisen achieved in 2024 compared to our competitors is only possible with a strong banking partner. Our solid liquidity and financing structure gives us predictability and ensures that we can convert this into benefits for our customers. Particularly when our liquidity cushion allows us to make early bookings, our customers benefit directly in the form of attractive prices.”
Flexibility and digitalization are key to customer satisfaction
For the CEO of Bentour Reisen, customer satisfaction and strong entrepreneurship go hand in hand. “Flexibility – even in difficult situations – is crucial for me. Every crisis in the tourism industry also boosts the company’s resilience if we can manage it well.” According to Ugur, the last few years have shown that customer satisfaction can only be maintained through flexibility and openness to change. The CEO sees some parallels here between a travel agency and a bank. “They both have to be innovative and digital. Customers want to be able to track travel arrangements and banking individually in an app in real time. However, personal conversations also result in greater satisfaction. This applies particularly to tour operators and banks. The formula for success for both industries is therefore a high level of digitalization plus added value through appreciation.”
Optimize your international business with ۶Ƶ Gateway. Benefit from efficient liquidity and payment management as well as immediate availability of your incoming payments from the eurozone.
Success with the right bank
In conclusion, for Deniz Ugur a good bank is characterized by the fact that “people talk to each other on an equal footing and its employees have the ability to think like an entrepreneur and to empathize with the client’s situation. Promoting entrepreneurship and embodying entrepreneurial values are effective ways for the bank to be successful.” ۶Ƶ takes this approach very seriously and is committed to helping its clients every single day – to foster strong entrepreneurship.
Nicolas Steiner
Nicolas Steiner has worked at ۶Ƶ for 25 years. During this time, he has held various positions within Corporate & Institutional Clients (CIC). His current role is in Communication & Partnership Enablement, where he works closely with our clients and assists with their individual needs.
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