14 Online Travel Agency Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start An Online Travel Agency

An online travel agency is a web-based marketplace that allows consumers to research and book travel products and services.

Nearly 1 billion people make travel bookings online. Besides, 70% of travelers research trips on mobile devices.

With the online booking trend on an upward trajectory, 2024 is a great time to start an online travel agency.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a online travel agency:

1. Flight Expert Bangladesh ($18M/year)

Salman Rashid, Founder & CEO of Flight Expert, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the potential of online travel agencies in Bangladesh. Seeing the decline in revenue in his family's offline-based travel agency, Salman suggested starting an OTA to his father. Despite initial skepticism, Salman recognized the need for better technology, service culture, and the value of brand trust in the industry, leading to the launch of Flight Expert in 2017.

How much they make: $18M/year
How much did it cost to start: $80K
Current team size: 60

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I Started The First Online Travel Agency In Bangladesh And It Now Makes $18M/Year

How a first-time founder grew the first-ever online travel agency in Bangladesh to 700+ airlines and one million-plus hotels worldwide, with a 50% increase in revenue in October 2021 compared to pre-Covid sales and aiming to hit break-even by March 2022.

About
SALMAN started Flight Expert Bangladesh about 7 years ago
Revenue
SALMAN grew the business to $1.5M/month
Costs
It cost SALMAN $80000 to start the business
Read by 5,461 founders

2. Hotels Etc. INC ($3M/year)

Shawn Pigg, CEO of Hotels Etc, came up with the idea for his business when he saw an infomercial for the company. Recognizing the potential in offering true discounts to travelers, he purchased the company and invested his life savings to bring it to life. Since then, he has negotiated over 3,000,000 discounts worldwide, resulting in Hotels Etc becoming a multimillion-dollar company and one of the oldest membership programs on the internet.

How much they make: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $600K
Current team size: 14

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I Created A $3M/Year Membership Business Selling Aggressive Hotel Discounts

How this CEO created a multimillion-dollar membership business offering exclusive discounts on travel and branched off into over 30 categories of discounts for members, negotiating over 3,000,000 discounts around the globe that are not available to the general public and only available to their members.

About
Shawn started Hotels Etc. INC almost 28 years ago
Revenue
Shawn grew the business to $250K/month
Costs
It cost Shawn $600000 to start the business
Read by 3,772 founders

So... can you actually make money with a online travel agency?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

3. CuddlyNest ($2.8M/year)

Ritesh Raj, the co-founder and COO of CuddlyNest, came up with the idea for the accommodation booking platform after years of traveling to over 100 countries and realizing the pain points of finding diverse types of accommodations. Alongside his co-founder, they decided to create a centralized platform that offers all kinds of properties for all types of travelers. Since its launch, CuddlyNest has raised over $14 million in funding and has plans for continued growth and expansion.

How much they make: $2.8M/year
Current team size: 72

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How We Solved A Major Pain Point With Travelers And Built An All-In-One Booking Platform [$21M Sales in 2022]

CuddlyNest has become the only online travel agency that offers all types of accommodations in one platform, with inventory currently including over 4 million properties of all types in 80k+ cities, and is expecting to hire more than fifty new employees in the coming months.

About
Ritesh started CuddlyNest about 7 years ago
Revenue
Ritesh grew the business to $233K/month
Read by 3,040 founders

4. Gifted Travel Network ($500K/year)

How much they make: $500K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
Current team size: 22

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How Meredith Hill brought the travel agency back to relevancy

Gifted Travel Network generated $30 million in sales from travel reservations made using their credentials in 2019, promoting travel entrepreneurship through offering professional development programs, exemplary service and a supportive community.

About
They started Gifted Travel Network about 11 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $41.7K/month
Costs
It cost $100000 to start the business
Read by 826 founders

So... can you actually make money with a online travel agency?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

5. Kiwi.com ($432M/year)

How much they make: $432M/year
Current team size: 1500

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Sky is the limit with Oliver Dlouhy (CEO & Co-Founder, Kiwi.com)

Kiwi.com uses its cutting-edge Virtual Interlining algorithm to combine flights on legacy and low-cost airlines into a single itinerary, helping customers find better route options and prices with 2 billion daily price checks, 100 million daily searches, and over 50,000 daily seat sales.

About
They started Kiwi.com about 12 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $36M/month
Read by 611 founders

6. Blue Sky Luxury Travels ($5M/year)

How much they make: $5M/year
Current team size:

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Shanna Dickerson: Building a Luxury Travel Empire

Blue Sky Luxury Travels is a multi-million dollar, ultra-luxury travel agency that offers worldwide services, including weekly rates ranging from $10,000 to more than $1 million for their network of luxury villas, private islands, and yacht charters.

About
They started Blue Sky Luxury Travels almost 14 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $417K/month
Read by 703 founders

So... can you actually make money with a online travel agency?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

7. RoundAbout Travel ($6M/year)

How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size: 1

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How a 23-year-old Quit his Job to Build a $6M Online Travel Agency

This case study features Australia's first round-the-world airfare specialist, which generated $900,000 in revenue during its first year and has since expanded to five brands, accumulating over $50 million in annual revenue, all started by a 23-year-old who quit his job as a travel agent.

About
They started RoundAbout Travel over 15 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $500K/month
Read by 908 founders

8. Baboo Travel ($600K/year)

Paul Sarfati, the Founder and CEO of Baboo Travel, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing the decline of his previous travel company, Bamba Travel, due to the pandemic. Wanting to create a platform that offers customized trips and connects travelers directly with local experts, Sarfati drew inspiration from companies like Evaneos. With his extensive knowledge of the travel industry and a focus on creating a better business model, Sarfati aims to revolutionize the travel industry and provide customers with personalized experiences at better prices.

How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $515K
Current team size: 5

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My Travel Hobby Fueled Me To Build A $600K/Year Custom Trips Platform

Baboo Travel's CEO Paul Sarfati successfully launched an easy-to-use travel platform that connects customers with local in-destination travel experts, reaching $180,000 in sales in the first four months of launching through targeted marketing strategies, incorporating growth hacking techniques, and prioritizing content marketing and search engine optimization for long-term success.

About
Paul started Baboo Travel over 3 years ago
Revenue
Paul grew the business to $50K/month
Costs
It cost Paul $515000 to start the business
Read by 4,274 founders

9. Captain Experiences ($1.2M/year)

Jonathan Newar, the Co-Founder and CEO of Captain Experiences, came up with the idea for the business while trying to book a fishing trip in Houston, TX. Frustrated by the lack of an easy, user-friendly platform for booking fishing charters, he decided to create Captain Experiences. Since its launch in March 2020, Captain has become the largest platform for booking fishing guides in the US, with over 1,200 guides partnered, 47,000 hours booked, and an average review score of 4.9/5 stars.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
Current team size: 10

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How We Make $100K/Month Booking Thousands Of Fishing Trips In The US

Captain Experiences, a platform for booking outdoor sports guides, has reported booking over 47,000 hours in outdoor sports and partnering with over 1,200 guides since launching in March 2020, with a 4.9/5 star review average.

About
Jonathan started Captain Experiences about 4 years ago
Revenue
Jonathan grew the business to $100K/month
Read by 1,802 founders

10. Tripadvisor ($1.37B/year)

How much they make: $1.37B/year
Current team size: 2956

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HOW I GOT HERE - STEVE KAUFER OF TRIPADVISOR

Tripadvisor is a global travel advice network with over 1 billion reviews and recommendations from almost 8 million companies that generated 902 million U.S. dollars in global revenue in 2021, representing a 49% increase from the previous year.

About
Stephen started Tripadvisor about 24 years ago
Revenue
Stephen grew the business to $114M/month
Read by 949 founders