Reaffirming predictions that corporate travel is the next big travel sector to face disruption, South African online travel site Travelstart has launched a new product – Travelstart for Business, a business travel booking and reporting tool for companies and individuals.
Travelstart’s Head of Product Pia Spratley said, “The market is flooded with complicated corporate travel solutions which seem to be stuck in the past, so we have shaped our product according to what companies want from a business travel tool.”
“Travelstart for Business is our answer for customers who want to enjoy the Travelstart experience but have specific needs for their business travel. We have always been on a journey to make travel simple, and now we’re simplifying business travel,” said a product team spokesperson.
Since launching Travelstart for Business in December, the product has grown organically with approximately 300 businesses signing on to use the service. Travelstart is adopting a very broad approach in terms of who it targets and how it acquires customers.
The product is available for “any company (individual or company with employees) worldwide, who is looking for a simple and modern approach to business travel. We also aim to bring this product to existing Travelstart customers who currently book business trips on their personal Travelstart accounts,” said a product team spokesperson.
In its design, Travelstart aimed to make the transition between users’ personal and business accounts as seamless as possible. It has kept the same general interface, with a few modifications to cater specifically to business travel needs. On top of that, business travellers can also benefit from exclusive corporate travel promotions pushed on the platform.
“It’s a secure dashboard where customers, after signing up, can start adding company travellers to one account, store company credit cards for payment, view all upcoming, past and pending business trips.”
In the next phase, Travelstart for Business will build on existing functions with reporting, corporate invoicing, travel policies, travel approvals and roles.
It meets a growing demand for a more comprehensive corporate travel product that can also offer a fluid user experience. This month, Singapore-based startup Travelstop announced its expansion into seven key APAC markets.
Though competition is growing in the space as more companies are eyeing a piece of the business travel market, estimated to be worth $1,657 billion by 2023. APAC alone makes up 40% of global business travel, growing at a rate of 10.4% CAGR between 2015-2023, as compared to Europe (3.8%) and USA (4.1%).
