If this deals truly helps Despegar better focus on its core services — selling travel — then it would seem to make sense. In the process, Despegar gets leaner.
If you work for an online travel agency and suggested it open brick-and-mortar stores to bring customers online, you would get very quizzical looks, at the least. Let's see if it works in Argentina and Brazil for Despegar/Decolar.
Brazil is a huge market, as are airline tickets, for Despegar. A rival with an alleged Ponzi scheme for selling airline tickets wasn't really fair competition.
Generative AI is still in the early stages, but major travel companies are investing in tools that many of them say will be an important part of the future.