Local agency or remote studio for a yacht and private aviation charter company website in Basel: how to choose (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

In landlocked Basel, a yacht and private aviation charter broker mainly sells flights out of EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg and yachts for Mediterranean trips, plus a few private outings on the Rhine. The choice of provider therefore hinges on your sales language and the Art Basel calendar in June: an English-first site with content ready suits a remote studio at CHF 4,500 to 8,200. A brand to build in German, with regular shoots and local campaigns, justifies a Basel agency.

What should a Basel broker's website show?

Basel's clientele is highly international: executives from the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector, visitors to the art fair in June, families heading to the Riviera or the Greek islands in summer. The site must be honest about the model: you are a broker. The air operator holds the air operator certificate, and every yacht offered must be certified for commercial use by its operator. Never write our fleet if you own nothing.

Practical needs:

• trip-type pages: business flights from EuroAirport, Art Basel week travel, Rhine outings, Mediterranean yacht charter;
• a form that asks only for dates, route, departure airport or marina, number of guests and contact details;
• discretion: no client names, no tail numbers, no photos of recognisable guests;
• aircraft and yacht photos under a written licence from the operator, or from an independent photographer you pay: never a Kolonell fee;
• availability and empty legs only as an integration on quote.

Legal frame: the nLPD (revFADP), in force since 1 September 2023 and supervised by the FDPIC, applies to your forms. The airport sits on French territory and part of your clientele lives in France or Germany, so the GDPR may apply when you target EU residents. Target WCAG 2.1 AA; if you sell to consumers in the EU, ask your adviser whether the European Accessibility Act applies. This is not legal advice.

Six scenarios: Basel agency or remote studio?

Local figures are a ballpark drawn from typical agency quotes and public rate pages of Basel agencies. Basel has a reasonable pool of agencies, but few know high-end business travel: ask for hospitality or events references.

When is a Basel agency clearly better?

If your core clients speak German and expect a precise Swiss German tone, a local team with native writers makes the difference. The same goes if you want to meet your providers every month, organise shoots on the Rhine or work with one team for the website, trade shows and advertising. Otherwise, a remote studio with a project manager on Central European time is enough, as long as the contract puts the domain, hosting and code in your name. Our international offer works that way: Starter at CHF 2,700, Growth at CHF 4,500, Premium at CHF 8,200 (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote), delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support, then maintenance on quote.

Questions for both: who writes the German, and in Swiss Standard German or German from Germany? How many revision rounds? Where are inquiries hosted? What do you receive if you switch providers?

What page and language plan should you budget for?

Kolonell writes English natively; French can also be written natively, to be set in the Premium quote. German goes to an independent native writer, a third-party cost.

Mini case study

Illustrative example: Thomas, a broker in Basel, arranges business flights out of EuroAirport and Mediterranean yacht charters for Basel clients. He wants a three-language site live well ahead of Art Basel.

His calculation: 18 German pages of about 350 words, so 6,300 words, at CHF 0.30 a word from an independent writer, gives CHF 1,890. He adds the Premium tier at CHF 8,200 and CHF 1,800 for an independent photographer for portraits and mood shots, with aircraft photos coming from operators under written licence. Total: CHF 11,890, against a Basel agency quote of CHF 42,000. Content ready on 1 April, launch at the end of April: the site has about six weeks to get indexed before the fair.

FAQ

Should a Basel broker really talk about yachts?

Yes if you sell charters elsewhere, in the Mediterranean for instance, but say so clearly. One page per destination, around 4 pages, avoids implying a local boating business.

Do we need a French version?

If part of your clientele lives in Alsace or French-speaking Switzerland, yes. It adds 9 to 12 page versions in a plan like the one above.

How long before Art Basel should the site launch?

Aim for at least 6 weeks before the June fair, for indexing and first form tests. With 3 to 4 weeks of production, content must be ready in early April.

Who keeps the domain if we change provider?

You do, if the contract says so from the start: domain, hosting and accounts in your company's name. Check that clause in both quotes before signing.

Can the form ask for a passport?

Not at first contact: dates, route, departure point, guests and contact details are enough. Identity data is collected later, when the operator needs it, which respects the data minimisation principle under the nLPD.

Let's scope your project. A charter broker site in English, German and French, from CHF 4,500 to CHF 8,200, live in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.