Technology start-up PinoyTravel and 2GoTravel, one of the largest travel providers in the country, recently signed a partnership agreement that will allow ticket sales for inter-island travel with Negros Navigation, Superferry, Cebu Ferries, and Supercat services to be sold online.
Under the agreement, PinoyTravel will serve as the online ticket reseller of 2GoTravel through the former’s website. The proponents said the service will soon become available in its mobile applications.
Booking by the PinoyTravel website and mobile app has been a favorite among OFWs buying tickets for their families and for themselves when they come home for vacation.
It has also been generating traffic among foreign tourists who prefer to book all their destinations even before leaving their country.
Through its online ticket reservation and sales for various bus companies, PinoyTravel has also been making weekend escapes to places like Baler more convenient for busy employees who just needed a break before the Monday grind begins again.
“We believe in the ability of PinoyTravel to help us expand our market reach to the online community. Part of our thrust is to encourage tourism to non-traditional destinations like Romblon and Masbate and we’ve seen PinoyTravel’s growth in similar destinations,” said 2GoTravel chief commercial officer Stephen Tagud.
“This partnership with 2Go marks PinoyTravel’s graduation from being a small start-up to one of the key enablers in the public transportation industry. We’ve made major breakthroughs in the provincial bus industry and with this partnership, we will make the same breakthrough in the sea travel sector. We truly appreciate the trust extended to us by 2GoTravel,” said PinoyTravel CEO and founder Au Soriano.
The service will be made available by the end of 2014. Payment options are Mastecard, Visa, Paypal, Online banking, over-the-counter banks and non-banks like Bayad Center, LBC, etc. Once payment is done, an itinerary will be sent via email, enhancing the travel experience for customers.
2Go is one of the pioneers of inter-island transportation in the Philippines, born out of established brands such as Negros Navigation, Superferry, Cebu Ferries, and Supercat.
The company offers a wide selection of hotel accommodations/services, tours and events packages, with the ease of land/sea travel. It caters to various ports in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
PinoyTravel is one of the first batch of startups from IdeaSpace, the technology incubator of the First Pacific group based in the Philippines focusing on emerging market technology innovations.