The Travel Business Is Prevented by a Pandemic, Traveloka Starts “Online Xperience”

Yesterday (29/6) unicorn Traveloka local OTA introduces Online Xperience, a new product category focused on working on the lifestyle sector. It features creative sessions with various titles from selected speakers. Some of the existing titles include a discussion about coffee with famous baristas, cooking shows with professional cooks, learning to arrange flowers with florist well-known, to lifestyle discussions with nutritionists.

The advantage that is trying to be presented, besides this is the session live, users can also have interactive discussions with performers. The use itself can be through the Traveloka website or application, in the menu section Traveloka Xperience.

Each session is premium, users have to pay a number of fees with various nominal. To the media, Traveloka Experience CEO Christian Suwarna said, "Online Xperience is a manifestation of our commitment to adapting to changing habits of current users who may still be reluctant to do outdoor activities, but need to do productive things to fill their time."

The launch of this new product is also in tandem with the government's National Movement #ProudBuatanIndonesia program, because this new business alternative is also expected to empower creative people. Christian added, "Online Xperience is also the beginning of our support for the #BanggaBuatanIndonesia national movement. We encourage talented individuals to continue to create and share inspiration, so that this initiative can be an alternative income."

There are already similar products

The product released by Traveloka is actually nothing new, other players, especially in the global arena, have already rolled it out, such as Airbnb and TripAdvisor. For Airbnb, via Online experienceThe program does not only visit tourist attractions, but also presents joint activities, such as cooking Balinese specialties, which can be followed virtually.

For local, some players present the concept of virtual activity also. For example what the platform does marketplace Umrah Travalal launched a new service called "Virtual Reality Tourism". That is, a tour program that is packaged individually online, utilizing 360° video technology and live tours using the app video conference. There are various tourist destinations on offer, both locally and abroad, including including virtual Umrah religious tourism.

Antourin also offers similar services in virtual tour packages of various tourist attractions in Indonesia at relatively affordable rates. Like real tours, virtual tours are also equipped with tour guides who are ready to explain and answer questions about the objects visited. Conference applications such as Zoom, Google Maps, and Street View are used in the implementation.

Traveloka Business

The first and second quarters of 2020 were indeed difficult times for the OTA industry, not only local players, but also international players. Some companies choose to streamline teams, there are also those who eventually collapse. By core business, Traveloka also experienced a similar shock; they are quite feature rich, but all have the same goal, comprehensively accommodating the travel needs of their users.

Call it Xperience, the service was developed so that people can easily book various events/shows at tourist attractions; or book other activity packages that can be found at the destination. Traveloka also took the lead series B funding Singapore-based event management system developer PouchNATION; again if they are correlated then the goal is still the same, (even if there is integration) it will support business related to user activities (which are carried out directly).

In the midst of this pandemic, Traveloka is reportedly completing fundraising. Source says, the company almost got an investment fund agreement of US$100 million equivalent to 1,4 trillion Rupiah from investors. It is not known what details this is part of the 7 trillion Rupiah target raised since last year or options down-round.

Innovation based fintech also worth highlighting from Traveloka for some time. In addition to pioneering PayLater, they continue to present new financial products, such as launching cards co-branding with BRI. The company is also quite optimistic that it can get the title unicorn through its financial business unit.

Earlier this year Traveloka was reported to have acquired a QR code-based payment system startup Dimo ​​Pay Indonesia. A trusted source who does not want to be named to DailySocial disclose, purchase process done through shell companies (special-purpose vehicle /SPV).