Latest news with #TravelPerk
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
European travel to the US slowed down this year — but travel companies say a summer rebound is already underway
Travel companies said European trips to the US dipped in early 2025 but are starting to rebound. Price reductions and deposit incentives are driving travel back to the US ahead of the summer. Trump's tariffs sparked boycotts of US brands, but travel firms see no structural collapse. Despite political tensions and growing anti-American sentiment, US travel is holding steady among European tourists — especially when prices drop. From January to April, several major travel platforms observed a slowdown in European bookings to the US. Thomas Cook reported a dip that exceeded typical seasonal fluctuations. "We did observe a softening in bookings to the US between January and April this year — a dip that goes beyond the usual seasonal adjustments," Nicholas Smith, holidays digital director at Thomas Cook and eSky Group, told Business Insider. However, by May, things began to shift. Smith said aggressive pricing strategies, including hotel rate cuts of around 25% and deposits of just over $1, triggered an uptick in bookings. "This has, in turn, helped stimulate demand, particularly among UK travelers adept at spotting good deals," he said. "We expect this rebound to continue into the summer months." Other travel firms echoed that optimism. TravelPerk, which serves business and corporate travelers, said bookings to the US from Europe rose 1% year over year in April, while US to Europe bookings climbed by 14%. Cancellation rates remained stable at 7 to 9%. Etraveli Group, which analyzed bookings through April, found that while demand for flights from the EU to the US declined by 7%, overall trip orders to the US from Europe jumped 19.5% year over year. However, bookings to other intercontinental destinations grew even faster, up 24.3% overall, 29% for Africa, and 25% for Asia. Shorter intra-European trips surged by 29%. These shifts are unfolding against a politically charged backdrop. President Donald Trump's escalating trade war, with tariffs on EU imports swinging from 20% to 10% and now potentially rising to 50%, has triggered grassroots consumer backlash across Europe. Apps like Brandsnap in the Netherlands and Detrumpify in France are helping Europeans identify US brands to avoid in supermarkets and online. In Denmark, major retailer Salling Group labelled European-made products with black star labels, while Norway's largest oil bunkering operation company, Haltbakk Bunkers, made headlines for briefly refusing to refuel US Navy ships. Meanwhile, high-profile American brands like Tesla and Coca-Cola are already seeing a fallout. Tesla's sales in Europe dropped by 46% between January and April, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, and McDonald's reported a global sales dip linked to "anti-American sentiment," especially in Northern Europe. This behavior may reflect more than a passing political reaction. In its March Consumer Expectations survey, the European Central Bank found that 44% of about 19,000 respondents preferred to switch away from US brands, regardless of tariff levels. The bank warned that this suggested a "possible long-term structural shift in consumer preferences away from US products and brands." French hotel giant Accor added to the concerns last month. CEO Sébastien Bazin told Bloomberg that summer bookings to the US from Europe were down 25%. Yet, travel industry analysts cautioned against assuming this signals a long-term shift. "While there is evidence of a temporary slowdown at this stage, the combination of price adjustments and strong interest in iconic US destinations suggests the market is poised to recover momentum," said Smith of Thomas Cook. Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, told BI that politics isn't the only factor deterring travelers. "Some of it is a genuine disinclination against spending your holidays in the US," he said, "but much of it is the fear of harassment at the border." Read the original article on Business Insider


Globe and Mail
31-03-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
TravelPerk Unveils Bold New Brand to Redefine the Future of Business Travel
TravelPerk marks its 10-year anniversary with a bold rebrand, to fuel its rapid growth and ambitious expansion plans, and to recognize its extended category focus on travel and expense management The new brand identity, developed with Wolff Olins, introduces a vibrant color palette and identity, set to disrupt and break away from the current sea of blue within the corporate travel management category The rebrand has been spearheaded by Jada Balster, TravelPerk's VP of Global Marketing BARCELONA, Spain, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TravelPerk, the hyper-growth company transforming travel and expense management, marks its 10-year anniversary with a bold rebrand designed to reflect its ambitious expansion and evolving vision. Developed in collaboration with global brand consultancy Wolff Olins, the new identity reflects TravelPerk's status as a disruptor in the corporate travel space, offering a simpler, smarter travel experience for businesses and their employees. The rebrand, which introduces a vibrant new color palette with a standout 'Perk Green', moves away from the sea of corporate blue that dominates the industry. This change reflects TravelPerk's shift from a traditional business travel provider to a forward-thinking platform that integrates both travel and expense management. Jada Balster, TravelPerk's recently appointed VP of Global Marketing, spearheaded the rebrand. 'We felt it was the perfect time for a fresh, new brand that better embodies our bold vision and unstoppable momentum building the future of integrated travel and expense management. This isn't just a rebrand - it's the mark of the next chapter. The new TravelPerk brand is bold, human, flexible, and deeply connected to our customers, moving away from the stereotypical view of the business traveler. ' Jada adds: 'Evolving our brand and visual identity has been no small task, but it perfectly reflects the collective ambition and collaboration of our entire team at TravelPerk. We can't wait to see how our customers and the wider market react to it.' The rebranding comes as TravelPerk continues to scale, with a growing focus on dominating the U.S. market. Over the past decade, the company has made several market-shaping acquisitions, including ClickTravel, AmTrav, and Yokoy, and earlier this year announced $200 million in Series E funding. 'We're proud of what we've built over the last 10 years, and this new brand represents the next phase of our journey,' says Avi Meir, CEO and Co-Founder of TravelPerk. ' Business travel is changing and so are we. Our new brand reflects our commitment to shaping the future of travel and expense management—making the experience simpler, smarter, and more seamless.' The new identity is designed to resonate with a wide range of customers. Whether it's the employee booking travel, the CFO managing budgets, or the travel managers overseeing policy, TravelPerk's rebrand aims to connect with everyone involved in the travel and expense process. The shift from 'business travel' to 'travel for work' underscores the company's expanded mission to serve the evolving needs of today's diverse workforce—from builders to bankers, scientists to sales managers, executives to engineers, and accountant executives to architects. Claire Stuart, Senior Engagement Director at Wolff Olins, commented: ' We were excited to help TravelPerk reimagine its brand identity. By moving away from the traditional corporate blue, we created a fresh, dynamic visual language that positions TravelPerk as a leader in the travel and expense management space, both in Europe and the U.S.' The rebrand also aligns with the changing landscape of business travel. With the rise of hybrid work models, advancements in AI, and evolving employee expectations, TravelPerk has continuously invested in its platform to meet these shifts. The new identity reflects this ongoing transformation, reinforcing TravelPerk's role as a partner to businesses looking for smarter, more efficient ways to manage travel and expenses. The refreshed look will be visible across all of TravelPerk's platforms, including those from its recent acquisitions, Yokoy, ClickTravel, and AmTrav. Customers will begin seeing the new identity on March 31, 2025, with a full rollout across digital channels, marketing materials, and a brand campaign launching in April. About TravelPerk TravelPerk is a category-defining travel and expense management platform. Since its founding in 2015, it has been reshaping the way companies manage travel for work, combining cutting-edge technology with a human touch. Trusted by global brands like Red Bull, Fujifilm, and Nord Security, TravelPerk offers a seamless all-in-one platform that simplifies travel booking, streamlines expense management, and boosts productivity for businesses of all sizes. With a commitment to flexibility, cost control, and efficiency, TravelPerk helps businesses save time, reduce costs, and focus on what matters most. Visit for more information.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EQT co-leads TravelPerk's USD 200 million Series E
TravelPerk is an all-in-one SaaS business travel platform that aims to give travelers the freedom they want whilst providing companies with the control they need EQT Growth co-leads the round, which values TravelPerk at USD 2.7 billion, alongside Atomico; round also joined by new investors Noteus Partners and Sequoia Capital, as well existing investors like General Catalyst, Kinnevik, Softbank Vision Fund, and Blackstone Alongside the financing, TravelPerk announces that it has acquired Yokoy, a leading spend management platform, to create an integrated Travel and Expense Management platform STOCKHOLM, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT is pleased to announce that EQT Growth, which aims to support fast-growing technology companies as they continue to scale, has co-led a USD 200 million Series E in TravelPerk. The investment is also led by Atomico, with participation from Noteus Partners and Sequoia Capital, as well as existing investors, including Kinnevik, General Catalyst, Softbank Vision Fund, and Blackstone. The oversubscribed round brings TravelPerk's valuation to USD 2.7 companies face greater economic pressures and more complicated regulatory environments, they are increasingly looking for fully integrated solutions that bring travel and expenses together into one automated platform. TravelPerk's end-to-end experience simplifies business travel management, streamlining processes and helping companies better control costs. With the acquisition of Yokoy, a leading spend management platform, and through integrations with expense management partners, TravelPerk is well positioned to provide small & medium businesses in Europe and the US highly localized solutions that suit individual needs, while preserving freedom of choice and in 2015 and today headquartered in Barcelona, TravelPerk has recorded 50 percent annual growth over the last two years and reached EBITDA break-even at the end of 2024. The new funding will be used to further accelerate growth, with continued expansion into the US market alongside significant investments into product, technology and Brochado, Partner at EQT Growth, who will join the TravelPerk Board, said: "TravelPerk is a clear digital-native leader in the multi-hundred-billion corporate travel market. Most small and mid-market businesses remain unmanaged and underserved in this space. Having followed the TravelPerk team for years, we've been consistently impressed by their focus, tenacity, and ambition in disrupting the industry. Their proprietary use of AI is among the best we've seen, enabling faster, smarter service for their customers. With the Yokoy acquisition, their product evolves into a true end-to-end T&E solution, further powered by AI.""Until now, customers had to make hard trade-offs: an integrated platform or separate, best-in-class travel and expense solutions. A platform delivering a great end-user experience or one focused on the experience for Finance," commented TravelPerk President and Chief Operating Officer, JC Taunay-Bucalo. "Customers don't have to compromise anymore. Now, they can have a leading travel management product built on the world's largest inventory, combined with an expense management product that works for their business."Avi Meir, TravelPerk CEO and Co-Founder, added: "Our focus has never been stronger as we expand across core markets, accelerate growth in the US, and now work to become the number one travel and expense management platform. Our partnership with Yokoy has already been a great success, and we are excited to take it to the next level by welcoming Phil, Devis, and the rest of the team to TravelPerk. We share a common vision for the role of AI reshaping the future of travel and expense management, and the innovation coming out of Yokoy's AI labs in Zurich is seriously impressive." ContactEQT Press Office, press@ This information was brought to you by Cision The following files are available for download: PR_EQT invests in Travelperk_28.01.25 TravelPerks View original content:
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TravelPerk Raises $200M and Acquires Yokoy to Create the Leading Integrated Travel and Expense Management Platform
The acquisition of Yokoy, a leading spend management platform, allows TravelPerk to offer a deeper and more unified travel and expense offering to its clients while expanding its addressable opportunity. The $200m Series E financing raises the company's valuation to $2.7 billion. It will accelerate TravelPerk's continued expansion into the US alongside further investments into product and AI. Atomico, EQT Growth, Noteus Partners and Sequoia Capital will join TravelPerk's world-class investor base alongside existing investors like General Catalyst, Kinnevik, Softbank Vision Fund, and Spain and ZURICH, Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TravelPerk, the leading business travel platform, today announces a new Series E fundraise of $200m. The investment is led by European venture capital firm Atomico, alongside EQT Growth, with significant participation from Noteus Partners and existing investors, including Kinnevik and General Catalyst. The oversubscribed round nearly doubles TravelPerk's valuation to $2.7 billion. The funding will be used to further accelerate growth - with continued expansion into the US market (following the acquisition of AmTrav in 2024) alongside significant investments into product, technology and AI to deliver the leading travel and expense management platform for SMB and mid-market companies in the U.S. and Europe. The company also announced today its acquisition of Yokoy, market-leader in Europe for AI-powered expense, invoice, and card payment processing. As companies face greater economic pressures and more complicated regulatory environments, they are increasingly demanding a fully integrated solution that brings travel and expenses together into one automated platform, to simplify the end-to-end experience, streamline processes, and help them better control costs. Through its acquisition of Yokoy, and deep integrations via an open ecosystem of strategic expense management partners, TravelPerk is positioned to provide customers in Europe and the US highly localized solutions, to suit their individual needs, preserving customers freedom of choice and flexibility, which is a key tenet of the TravelPerk value proposition. 'Until now, customers had to make hard trade-offs— an integrated solution or best-in-class travel and expense solutions. A platform delivering a great end-user experience or one focused on the experience for Finance,' commented TravelPerk President and Chief Operating Officer, JC Taunay-Bucalo, adding: 'Customers don't have to compromise anymore. Now, they can have the best travel management product built on the world's largest inventory, and the expense management product that works best for their business, combined for the best integrated experience there is.' TravelPerk and Yokoy have collaborated since 2020, successfully partnering to jointly offer travel and expense management to customers such as Breitling, On Running, and Medskin. Philippe Sahli, Co-founder and CEO of Yokoy, commented: 'Given our successful collaboration to-date, and the compelling vision for the future of integrated travel and expense management, we are excited to come together as one company and are confident in the unprecedented experience we can together deliver to customers.' The acquisition of Yokoy and Series E funding came off the back of another year of growth at TravelPerk. The company has achieved a unique combination of growth and profitability at scale - with annualized booking volumes of over $2.5 billion, annualized revenue of over $200 million, growth of over 50% per annum in the last two years, and reaching EBITDA break-even at the end of 2024. Avi Meir, TravelPerk CEO and Co-Founder, commented: "Our focus has never been stronger as we expand across core markets, accelerate growth in the US, and now work to become the number one travel and expense management platform.' He continued: "Our partnership with Yokoy has already been a great success, and we are excited to take it to the next level by welcoming Phil, Devis, and the rest of the team to TravelPerk. We share a common vision for the role of AI reshaping the future of travel and expense management, and the innovation coming out of Yokoy's AI labs in Zurich is seriously impressive.' Hillary Ball, Partner at Atomico, who will join TravelPerk's Board of Directors, commented: 'Corporate travel and expense management is time-consuming, expensive and burdensome. We've long admired how TravelPerk has solved this problem with a product-centric approach, and remained at the forefront of the market through strategic acquisitions, international growth, and innovative product expansions. Yet, with a team as ambitious as TravelPerk, and with the inclusion of Yokoy, there is still so much more on the horizon. Atomico is thrilled to be partnering with Avi and the whole team to fuel the next phase of the company's vision.' Carolina Brochado, Partner at EQT Growth, who will also join the Board, commented: "Having followed the TravelPerk team for years, we've been consistently impressed by their focus, tenacity, and ambition in disrupting the industry. Their proprietary use of AI is among the best we've seen, enabling faster, smarter service for their customers. With the Yokoy acquisition, their product evolves into a true end-to-end T&E solution, further powered by AI."Yokoy was acquired in an all-equity deal, with Sequoia Capital, the prominent American venture capital firm, now joining TravelPerk's cap table alongside its existing investors. About TravelPerk TravelPerk is a hyper-growth SaaS business travel platform and a pioneer in the future of travel for work. Its all-in-one platform gives travelers the freedom they want whilst providing companies with the control they need. The result saves time, money, and hassle for everyone. TravelPerk has industry-leading travel inventory alongside powerful management features, 24/7 customer support, state-of-the-art technology, and consumer-grade design, which enable companies and organizations worldwide like Red Bull, GetYourGuide, and Aesop, to get the most out of their travel. Visit for more information. About Yokoy Yokoy is the Intelligent Spend Management Platform, founded in Switzerland in 2019 with the aim of streamlining and simplifying how businesses process expenses, invoices, and card payments. Powered by its proprietary AI, Yokoy is trusted by more than 700 customers around the world to automate their finance processes and accelerate the move towards zero-touch spend management. Yokoy was named #1 fastest-growing B2B Fintech brand in Europe by Sifted in 2024. Visit for more information. Media contact: Press office - press@ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at