The one who has awoken up the air transport on the international airport of Nice launches the first European multimedia plat-form dedicated to trips from Brusesls.
Lofti Belhassime is back. The former CEO of Air Liberté, who was at the origin of the opening of the French sky to the competition (three or four years ago, he shook the “duopoly” of Air France-AOM on domestic lines) reappears in multimedia. The founder of Aquarius holiday villages sold to the Club Med, then of the airline company Air Liberté which is now in the hands of British Airways, Lofti Belhassime, next December 18th is going to launch “Liberty Channels”, the first European plat-form for bookings and tourist information. A very high-tech industry, which has the characteristics of being accessible from Internet, but also on television and by telephone.
The company, based in Brussels, will have an activity of multimedia travel agency and will work around three main poles : a text-data and picture bank on Internet, a television channel, a reservation center by telephone. The online weekly Les Echos, notices that the project is very ambitious because of the global investment which is up to 200 million francs. The data bank, opened to all the contractors (hotels, lessors, airline companies, etc) will have a worldwide orientation.
For the television part, a Belgian channel has been bought up and the broadcasting will be done in eight languages in twenty two countries (on Canal Satellite and on the cable from January 15th in France). This channel will mix the travel theme with teleshopping. Then, the call center continuously opened, will be there to ensure the customer relation service and will enable those who do not wish to use secured payments on the Net to order. As far as resources are concerned, they would be provided by advertising, sponsoring and a percentage on transactions. Liberty Channels is owned at 50.1% by Lofti Belhassime who has a new challenge in multimedia after holiday clubs and airline transport…