Package Vacation Platform GoFro Raises $10 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Each week we round up travel startups that have recently received or announced funding. The total raised this week was more than $22 million.

That $22 million figure doesn’t include the $250 million that the India-based hotel network OYO Rooms said it raised in a round led by Softbank — news that Skift will cover separately.

>>GoFro, an India-based platform for customers to book vacation packages and pay agents to plan itineraries, said it had raised $10 million in Series B funding led by HIS, a Japanese travel agency.

MakeMyTrip, the online travel giant of India that is a majority investor in GoFro, also participated in the round.

HIS, an agency based in Japan with 460 retail outlets across Asia, will become a strategic partner of GoFro and will help to launch the GoFro marketplace in Japan.

Amitabh Misra, the current chief executive, launched GoFro only about a year ago. He said his company had seen rapid traction with package-loving customers in India.

Deep Kalra, founder, group chairman and group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said in a statement that the appeal of GoFro was that it brought hundreds of branded vacation package products from online and brick-and-mortar agents for 70 destinations worldwide into one marketplace. Until now, the market had been fragmented for Indian travelers shopping online.

>>Otelz, which calls itself Turkey’s largest hotel reservation website, said it has raised a $3.8 million investment round, led by Sankoline.

Howzat Partners, the investment fund co-founded by former Momondo chief executive Hugo Burge, also participated in the round.

Founded in 2013, the company has struggled along with other players as political and economic strains have buffeted Turkish tourism.

On the bright side, the company is facing somewhat reduced competition as operations of Booking.com have been restricted in Turkey. There are some new markets expanding, too, as Arab visitors are increasingly turning to the country as a destination.

Otelz said it works with 7,500 properties in Turkey and plans to use the funding to help grow its inventory.

>>Ski Solutions, a sports travel agency with a concierge client service, has received a $7.85 million, or £6 million, investment from Mobeus Equity Partners, a British buyout firm.

Founded in 2010 as an outgrowth of a winter sports travel agency, Ski Solutions has offered customized itineraries and bookings for ski holidays. With the investment, Ski Solutions will aim to expand into the summer activities market.

Ski Solutions has claimed it has had 20 percent a year growth over the last three years. It currently has 34 employees but will add more staff soon.

Mobeus promises to provide additional funding for add-on acquisitions related to the activities and adventure segment.

Check out our previous startup funding roundups, here.