Travala.com, a blockchain-based hotel booking platform headquartered in London, says his bookings show that Asia is currently “more advanced than Europe” in the adoption of cryptocurrency in the travel space.
“At the moment, cryptocurrency adoption is still in its early stages, but Travala.com is setting the standard for how it can be used in the space,” said Travala.com’s CEO and founder Matt Luczynski.
Travala.com, as the official accommodation partner for the upcoming Consensus: Asia conference in Singapore will allow for over 15 native crypto payment options, including PayPal and credit cards.
“Singapore’s progressive nature in pushing the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency as a form of payment is exactly what we at Travala.com are championing. Joining forces with one of the leading conferences in the space to further drive Singapore’s crypto ecosystem is something we are truly pleased about,” said Luczynski.
Some 80% of Travala.com’s payments are made in cryptocurrency and it expects this trend to continue although Luczynski said the challenge is for brands to be able to balance the trend surrounding new payment forms and consumer needs. This is something he says Travala.com has been able to “do well” and he hopes it will “set the bar for how it can be accomplished in the industry”.
“Within the sector, others are already looking at us as a model for best practices and how users and businesses should set up their systems. That is a sign that we are doing things right,” he said.
As to which country in Asia will drive further adoption, he said he sees Singapore as a thriving blockchain and cryptocurrency hub.
Travala.com is one of several travel companies that have already found its space within the blockchain economy. Some others include Cool Cousin, Beenest, Winding Tree, ShoCard in conjunction with SITA, Trippki, TUI Bed-Swap.
“From loyalty programs to authentic reviews done over the blockchain, our platform is focused on useability and accessibility for everyone, regardless of how much they know about cryptocurrency or blockchain. In the backend, we have solutions that set a standard of true factors, which is encouraging for both our users and merchants as they know they will be getting a fair price for a fair exchange of services,” said Luczynski, when asked to explain the benefits of being a blockchain-based platform.
