• Funding from existing backers plus institutional investors will drive strategic commercial expansion, and grow the technical integrations team for booking systems’ APIs
• News supports Globick's goal of being the leading in-destination experiences platform with superior connectivity.
• The platform has seen 16-fold increase in transaction volumes in 2023, now serving 35+ clients across 12 countries.

  Globick, a tours and experiences B2B connectivity platform, is pleased to announce the successful closure of a funding round securing an investment of $1.5 million.   The investment round saw active participation from all existing investors in the company - including venture capital funds and renowned business angels from the travel tech startup ecosystem-, along with the addition of esteemed institutional investors, such as the Institut Català de Finances (ICF), a public bank in Spain.   The raised funds from this investment round will be allocated towards the strategic commercial expansion of the company, further enhancing the technical team responsible for integrating APIs from external suppliers and sellers of tours and experiences.   This strategic move aligns with the vision of Globick – which operates as a robust B2B connectivity platform, offering On-line Travel Agencies, Destination Management Companies and Experiences resellers seamless and direct access to contract with in-destination travel suppliers on a global scale – of becoming the best connected in-destination experiences platform of the market.   With an expanding client base of over 35 customers across 12 different countries, the platform has witnessed a remarkable surge in transaction volume – with a substantial 16-fold increase compared to 2022.   Some of the significant clients leveraging Globick's services include renowned industry players such as Trip.com, Hellotickets and HIS Group, among others.   Xavier Boixeda, Co-Founder & CEO of Globick, stated, "The trust and participation of our investors will enable us to further solidify our position in the market and accelerate our efforts in establishing Globick as the foremost platform for seamless connectivity within the in-destination experiences industry."

 

• Trip.com Group selects Globick as its global tours & experiences connectivity partner. 
• Deal includes Trip.com and Ctrip platforms.
• Globick’s frictionless B2B connectivity platform will allow Trip.com Group’s various platforms to connect directly to operators globally . 

  Trip.com Group, the leading global travel service provider, today announced that it has designated tours and experiences B2B connectivity platform Globick as a global connectivity partner for its direct connections with activities operators worldwide.   As part of this agreement henceforth Globick will provide new API integrations between various Trip.com Group platforms – including Trip.com and Ctrip – and tours, events, experiences, theme park and activities operators around the world that work with the Group.   Globick’s direct connectivity tech will help Trip.com Group to become both more profitable and able to provide premium products for the Chinese and other important global source markets as international and long-haul travel rebound.   Whilst current integrated partners of Trip.com Group will continue their cooperation in the same manner, the Group will now integrate new chosen operators and aggregators with a direct contract via Globick’s frictionless B2B connectivity platform.   The partnership will begin with the integration of three of the world’s top reservation platforms and at the same time Trip.com Group will be able to benefit from existing reservation systems that are already integrated onto the Globick platform.   Xavier Boixeda, Co-Founder & CEO of Globick comments: “We are enormously excited to be working with such an important player as Trip.com Group and look forward to bringing great value to Trip.com Group platforms. Connectivity is often the missing link in the tours & experiences space and we feel that this partnership validates our vision to use innovative technology to bring travel sellers and both operators and aggregators together via efficient direct contracts.”    Chang Liu, General Manager of Attractions International Business, Trip.com Group, commented: “As the China outbound market opens up – and other source markets globally begin to travel internationally in earnest – we want to have the best connectivity solution in place for our tours & experiences partners. Globick’s cutting edge direct connectivity platform enables us to reduce costs and provide our partners with an improved, more efficient experience that will lead to increased sales.”

 

• Consumer survey from Globick shows that 69% of those who’ve booked a hotel or flight are open to prompts to purchase in-destination experiences.
• Results show that over half of all travellers are now purchasing in-destination experiences ahead of arrival.
• Limited variation in buying intention regardless of purchasing channel (direct or via an intermediary) or time-to-arrival.

  Tours and experiences B2B connectivity platform Globick has today published research showing a significant opportunity to cross-sell in-destination experiences to travellers who have already booked a hotel or flight.   Globick recently conducted a survey with its partner NTT DATA – part of the global provider of IT and business services NTT Group – of a statistically relevant sample of Spanish travellers based in Madrid and Barcelona.   The survey anlaysed scenarios for a variety of different travel purchasing channels – including having purchased accommodation via a hotel website, a plane ticket via an airline website, a plane ticket an airline app, and a hotel via an OTA – at different stages in the trip experience, including at the time of purchasing the hotel or flight, a few days before arrival in destination, and once in destination.   Regardless of purchasing channel or time to arrival the buying intention of travellers with regards to in-destination experiences – when prompted by whoever they had already purchased their hotel or flight with – remained both high and consistent with only limited variation:  

• Overall 69% of those surveyed showed themselves open to purchasing an in-destination experience via such prompts.
• Museums would be the top purchase choice, with only 1% of people seeing themselves as ‘highly unlikely’ to purchase such tickets.
• Whilst sports events proved the least popular, with 28% being ‘highly unlikely’ to buy.
• In total 54% of respondents said that they had purchased in-destination experiences via such prompts previously.

  Moreover, it showed that more and more travellers are thinking ahead when it comes to in-destination experiences with 53% stating that they regularly buy such services in advance of arriving at the destination.   Xavier Boixeda, Co-Founder & CEO of Globick comments:   “With each sale of an in-destination experience representing both incremental revenue and high-margins, for relatively little effort, it is surprising that there aren’t more intermediaries and direct points of sale already doing this.   “Hard to believe but this study shows that anyone not doing this is quite literally leaving money on the table – you won’t find an intention to purchase rate higher than 69% in many other circumstances, certainly not in a competitive market like selling travel to consumers.   “In our opinion this is because in reality travellers often decide upon the activity they want to do first and not the destination. No one visits Orlando for the swamps, they want Disney and Universal – likewise first timers to Paris are there for the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, not the overpriced rooms a long way from the centre.   “Because entrance tickets to such experiences were typically only sold at the door people historically have bought the flight and hotel first – but the digital revolution is slowly changing that and travellers expect advance tickets more and more.”

  The Tours, Activities & Attractions sector (TAA) is experiencing a significant acceleration in its digitalization process. 47% of consumers make travel reservations online and consumers who wait to the last minute have dropped from 38% in 2019 to 14% in 2021.   The tours, attractions and activities market (TAA) is developing quickly, with the aim of creating more unique and complete experiences for increasingly more digital-savvy consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a digital revolution in a sector in which—although some relevant players like hotels and airlines were already on the path toward greater digitalization—specific processes have accelerated.   According to the study “Are You Experienced?” by NTT DATA, the world’s sixth-largest IT company, in collaboration with Globick, this acceleration is mainly due to a change in consumer behavior.   Mobile devices have become the most used devices, indeed sometimes the only one, to interact with tourism companies. The pandemic also considerably influenced this change in behavior. Due to restrictions on capacity, consumers have changed their reservation strategy, from waiting to do everything at the last minute to planning trips more in advance.   According to NTT DATA, the percentage of travelers who wait until the last minute has dropped from 38% in 2019 to 14% in 2021. In fact, 46% buy their tickets a week or more in advance, according to data from Arival. The outcome of this is sky-rocketing use of digital channels to make these reservations, with 47% of consumers buying their tickets online, either on computer or smartphone, compared to 28% in 2019.   Travel companies that want to take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior must make searching, making reservations and real-time confirmation of products at the destination more streamlined and user friendly. This is where OTAs (Online Travel Agency) have a bit of an advantage.   A coherent, integrated and accessible experience   One of the main factors is offering suitable products based on the target market of each tour company, to personalize offers and make customers’ searches easier. Travel companies must also ensure that all third-party TAA products sold on their websites are just as easy to read, browse, understand, and make reservations on, even when contents are provided by third parties. Recommendations for personalized products vastly exceed generic offers. If a consumer clicks on just one personalized recommendation, the conversion rate increases from 1% to 4%. There are even sophisticated algorithms that make personalized and effective recommendations, which end up reducing search times and increasing sales.   Javier Martí, Partner - Head of Hospitality, Travel & Leisure at NTT DATA Europe & LATAM points out that “"Like in the case of flights and hotels distribution, a new generation of players will bring connectivity and integration into the industry to unlock the potential of the TAA business."   In turn, Xavier Boixeda, CEO of Globick comments that “the in-destination activities sector—the third largest in tourism—must become a central feature in the offers of online and offline travel agencies and can also be made up of accommodation providers and transportation operators. It’s a growing market amid a highly-significant digitalization process, which is at a key time in which those handling it as a central product and not as a travel accessory, can gain great value with high returns.”   Another important factor to bear in mind is to establish a partnership with intermediaries specifically specializing in the TAA market, which can facilitate access to the best market products under the very best conditions possible. Brands that want to successfully sell TAA products must make sure that the flow of reservations, customer service and the sales approach for these products is aligned with the brand, integrated and coherent.   In short, selling TAA products gives travel brands a wide range of opportunities to ensure customer loyalty, offering them unique experiences before, during and after their trips. The consumer experience must be fully integrated and aligned with the brand and have a tech platform that makes it easy to access the inventory of multiple TAA operators.