Travala.com Quarterly Business Update: Q4 2023
A Forecast of Favourable Conditions
From the CEO’s Desk
A very happy new year to our incredible community! As we reflect on 2023, I wanted to start by thanking all of you for your support throughout last year. Whether you made a booking, interacted with other members in one of our community groups, or shared a post on social media last year, your actions helped contribute to Travala.com’s growth.
2023 was a pivotal year for the tourism industry, with revenue exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Approximately $810 billion in global revenue (in comparison to 2019’s $737 billion), representing phenomenal growth of almost 20% year-on-year. Projections forecast another exceptionally strong year of growth in 2024, with industry revenue expected to increase by 8–10% globally.
Zooming in, we achieved several remarkable milestones in 2023, which culminated in listing our entire hotel inventory on KAYAK in November—a watershed moment in our goal of bridging the gap between travel and blockchain.
Other major achievements and projects in 2023 included:
- Integration of the Open Passport
- Our ongoing hotel inventory integration with Google Hotels
- Launch of mobile-only hotel deals
- Launch of exclusive hotel discounts after booking a flight
- Our SEO initiatives, which helped almost triple our organic impressions year-on-year
- Expanded luxury travel benefits via our Concierge service by:
- Being named a Four Seasons Preferred Partner
- Joining Hilton’s Impresario Program
- Enabling Diamond members to earn Marriott Bonvoy points
In 2024, we’re setting ourselves up for what we expect to be Travala.com’s biggest year yet. With the travel industry rebound complete, the cryptocurrency market showing promising signs of easing out of the bear market, and the next Bitcoin halving right around the corner in April, the forecast would suggest that we’re soaring into ideal conditions for crypto travellers.
Looking ahead to our key focus areas this year, the brand refresh project—our biggest project since the launch of Travala.com—is estimated to be completed later this year and will be a game changer for the company and the community. We’re also exploring further integrations with other major metasearch engines to increase our visibility when travellers compare prices across online travel agencies, more supplier integrations to expand our product offering and provide competitive pricing, and many other projects that will continue to solidify our position as the dominant web3 travel company.
These are truly exciting times ahead, and we can’t wait to share everything that we’re working on with you. Your ongoing support enables us to keep building the leading crypto-native and web3 travel booking service as we endeavour to take you to even greater uncharted heights this year.
From all of us at Travala.com, we hope you enjoy a fantastic 2024 filled with new horizons, breathtaking journeys, and unforgettable experiences.
Juan Otero, Chief Executive Officer
Bookings & Revenue Update
Q4 was the best-performing quarter of 2023, recording a cumulative revenue total of $16.24 million with 25.9% YoY growth on Q4 2022 ($12.89 million). For comparison, revenue for the previous quarters was as follows: Q3 ($14.89 million); Q2 ($15.82 million), and; Q1 ($12.67 million). We’re aiming to start 2024 strongly with notable marketing initiatives on offer to encourage further bookings across all channels. Read on to find out more.
Q4 2023 Summary:
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- October revenue: $5,109,024
- November revenue: $5,344,714
- December revenue: $5,788,719
- Total Q4 revenue: $16,242,457
- Revenue and bookings by vertical:
- Hotels: $9,997,233 (26,886 room nights; 61.55%)
- Flights: $6,181,879 (11,866 flights; 38.06%)
- Activities: $63,345 (359 activities; 0.39%)
- Total AVA givebacks: 366,359 AVA (approx. $192,871)
Matthew Stevens, Chief Financial Officer
Product Update
In what was a busy final quarter delivering major initiatives and laying the foundations for the new year, our focus for 2024 is on user growth through integrations with leading metasearch engines as well as improvements and additions to the core booking product.
What’s New
- Hotel listings are live on KAYAK
- Platform wallet now supports BTC, USDT, USDC and TUSD
- Implemented free entry for the AVA Smart Basic membership
- Search integration for additional 4 and 5-star properties
- Expansion of available flight fare types
Coming Up
- Travala brand refresh project
- AVA deals implementation
- Adding more suppliers and inventory
- Further expansion of flight fare types
- Google Hotels integration expansion
- Further metasearch engine integrations for hotels
- Integration of flight listings on KAYAK and other major metasearch engines
- Dtravel homes integration
- Exploration of ancillary travel products
Subhanshu Saxena, Chief Product Officer
Marketing & Community Update
In Q4, the marketing team concentrated efforts on coordinating the messaging for our major initiatives—particularly the KAYAK integration and the Catalonia advertising campaign—while launching and planning further user acquisition initiatives.
What’s New
- Launched the Travel Tiger NFT Giveaway. Activate or upgrade your Smart membership by 31st January to enter! Read more
- Announced the changes to the Smart Basic tier. Activate for FREE
- Completed our global advertising campaign of Catalonia with the Catalan Tourist Board
- Launched thousands of new flight pages for SEO purposes, significantly increasing organic impressions
- Ran the first Travala Travel Giveaway, giving the whole community the chance to win $250 in Travel Credits for performing tasks
- Launched a redesigned Concierge email for luxury travel
Coming Up
- Major giveaway to incentivise travel bookings on Travala.com
- Upcoming campaigns with major companies in the crypto and web3 space
- Partnership announcements with major industry players
- Brand refresh project, including redesigned website, logo and brand story
Sam Woollard, Chief Marketing Officer
Partnerships Update
Q4 was our busiest period ever for event partnerships, with Travala.com being the Official Travel Partner for seven crypto events between October to December 2023. We also listed three new tokens as payment options and conducted multiple travel booking incentive campaigns with token partners.
What’s New
- Book with $PEPE on Travala.com before 15th January for your shot at 1 of 4 $1,000 Travel Credit prizes! LEARN MORE
- Added the following payment options on Travala.com:
- PEPE
- NFAI
- We’re proud to have been an Official Travel Partner of NEARCON 2023 and India Blockchain Week 2023, in addition to five other events viewable in the Q3 2023 Quarterly Business Update.
- Completed a Black Friday campaign with Klever K5 Wallet, a MiniApp partner
Coming Up:
- Official Travel Partner of SuperAI (June 5-6 2024)
- Tapping into the web3 community via partnerships with NFT projects
- Expanding the range of crypto payment options available on Travala.com
- Amplifying reach via partnerships and integrations with travel companies
- Partnering with premier crypto events to enhance Travala.com’s visibility
Upcoming Crypto & Travel Events
See what crypto and travel events are happening over the next few months in our latest Upcoming Events article.
Shane Sibley, Head of Business Development
AVA Smart Program
Contributor Tasks
The Contributor Tasks for Smart members are live until 16th January! To receive your AVA Smart Bonus (ALL Smart members) and Ambassador Bonus (Diamond members only), simply complete the Contributor Tasks.
Log in to Gleam using your Travala.com account email HERE.
Remember, if you spent a minimum of US$50 worth of AVA on Travala.com within the previous quarter (1 October – 31 December 2023) on completed travel bookings, Travel Credit purchases, or Travel Gift Cards, you’ll automatically be able to claim the AVA Smart Bonus during the Claim Period from 23rd January – 6th February without completing the Contributor Tasks. More info.
Travel Drop
The 7th Travel Tiger Club Drop saw one lucky Smart Diamond member win a luxury Hilton Holiday in Japan for two!
The lucky winner and their guest will enjoy an unforgettable 6 nights across Japan, with 2 nights each at Roku Kyoto, Conrad Osaka, and Conrad Tokyo. Each stay includes activities at the hotel, ranging from a traditional Japanese tea ceremony to dining experiences and a spa treatment in a wooden Hinoki bath.
All Smart Diamond members are automatically entered into the Travel Drop draw. Upgrade your Smart membership today for your chance to win!
The next Travel Drop will be drawn in February, so be sure to keep an eye on our socials and your inbox!
What’s Next
Thank you for reading our Q4 2023 Quarterly Business Update. Stay updated on our channels to hear about the latest news, and be sure to tune in to our socials for the announcement of the next Travel Drop for Smart Diamond members!
If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to us on the official Travala.com Telegram channel.
About Travala.com
Founded in 2017, Travala.com is the leading crypto-native travel booking service with 2,200,000+ properties in 230 countries, 400,000+ activities, and 600+ airlines globally. Travala.com is a champion of cryptocurrency adoption, accepting over 90 leading cryptocurrencies alongside traditional payment methods. In addition to unbeatable prices via its Best Price Guarantee, Smart members on Travala.com can also enjoy additional discounts and loyalty rewards for eligible bookings made on the platform. For more information about Travala.com, visit: www.travala.com.
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