Online travel booking Web site, Travelstart has bought a majority stake in Cape Town-based SafariNow.com.
Established in 1999, SafariNow is one of SA's largest accommodation booking Web sites, representing accommodation over both the informal (self-catering and vacation rentals) and formal sector (hotels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts).
The acquisition, according to Travelstart, is part of the company's strategy to reshape the online travel industry in Africa, by making it more professional, transparent and to combat challenges around payments and content aggregation.
The acquisition of SafariNow's 40-man team will see Travelstart fast-track the growth of its accommodation offering, adds the company.
Travelstart founder and CEO Stephan Ekbergh explains: "We want to supercharge our accommodation offering and with more than 23 000 listings on SafariNow, we can give our customers much better choices.
"SafariNow have a history, and they're one of the oldest, if not the oldest accommodation brands in Sub-Saharan Africa. They will add great hotel content to our services."
Travelstart says it has lots of customers which it cannot offer hotels to, due to not having the inventory they require. However, through the merger they can provide more offerings.
SafariNow.com, will stick to its core business of selling accommodation and retain its current brand, CEO and team. Terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, notes Travelstart.
"Travelstart shares our mission of transforming the travel-booking experience to be simple and powerful," says Tom Williams, CEO of SafariNow.
"We've booked millions of bed-nights in the past 18 years and we're excited to tackle this next chapter with a strong, supportive partner. It's a major plus for establishments who list with us as it will result in greater exposure for their listing."
While SafariNow will continue to run as a standalone business, the company says it will expand into more hotels and lodges next year.
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