South Africa's Travelstart to Buy Corporate Travel Agency Club Travel


Skift Take

Travelstart is taking a logical next step in expanding from its core leisure travel business into corporate travel through an acquisition.
In a technology play and an attempt to get stronger in corporate travel, Travelstart, Africa's largest online travel agency, announced plans to purchase the Club Travel Group. Founded in 1987, Club Travel is one of South Africa’s leading travel brands, evolving from a high-street favorite to a key player in the corporate and government travel markets. As such, it’s a good match for leisure-focused and tech-savvy Travelstart. “Travelstart is strong in the consumer segment, and we want to bring consumerization to the corporate and government sectors, where Club Travel is an emerging star,” said Stephen Ekbergh, Travelstart's founder and CEO, in a statement. For Club Travel, access to Travelstart’s technology is likely the sweetener to the deal. “I saw a few years