Despegar Bulks Up on Vacation Rentals To Fend Off Competition From Global Players
Skift Take
Despegar is growing with a steady pace of mergers and acquisitions, including Viajanet and Stays. It's a smart move to use vacation rentals to defend and expand market share.
Despegar, a leader in travel in Latin America, is adding vacation rentals fast, particularly in Brazil, following the closing of a 51 percent stake in channel manager Stays in that country.
The travel agency, which released its second quarter earnings report Thursday, said it added 20,000 direct listings, a 42 percent year over year jump. Despegar now counts more than 400,000 vacation rentals in its inventory, the company said.
In addition to Brazil, which along with Mexico are Despegar's two largest markets, Despegar added vacation rentals in seven additional markets in the quarter
