This archive report was first published on 9 December 2019.
December 9, 2019, marked a significant shift in the African online travel industry as Cape Town-based TravelStart took over the entire operations of Jumia Travel across the continent.
TravelStart, which operates in nine African countries, will power Jumia Travel's pan-African online travel booking portal and assume control of sales, fulfillment, and customer service aspects of Jumia Travel's online booking websites in all its operating territories.
According to Joe Falter, EVP Jumia On-Demand Services, 'We have a strong belief in the potential of the online travel industry and travel portals in Africa and have built a strong platform across our markets to address this opportunity. In Travelstart, we have found the perfect partner to build on the success Jumia Travel has achieved so far.'
TravelStart, which had previously shut its Kenyan office and operated remotely from Cape Town, will now re-enter the local market with a team at Jumia Travel, which counts Kenya and Nigeria as its largest markets.
TravelStart's CEO, Stephan Ekbergh, stated, 'Twelve thousand customers travel with us daily. Being Jumia's exclusive distribution partner will help even more travellers in Africa unlock high-quality online travel services.'
Meanwhile, Jumia Rwanda has announced plans to shut down its operations in the country after six years of operations, following similar moves in Tanzania and Cameroon.
