Voyagin Pte. Ltd., the Singapore-based operator of Voyagin, a platform to discover and book travel experiences, received a majority investment from Rakuten, Inc. (4755:Tokyo).
The amount of the transaction was not disclosed.
Led by Director and CEO Masashi Takahashi, Voyagin aims to allow travelers discover and book travel experiences from its C2C marketplace. The marketplace, which focuses on experiences across Asia, allows local businesses and individuals to develop tours and activities that will inspire their guests.
It currently features over 1,700 activities, including tickets to museums and shows, cultural activities, romantic dinners, adventure experiences, and private guides, among many others.
Services are bookable at over 50 destinations in Asia and can be made in advance or at the destination via its mobile-optimized website, which is available in English, Japanese and Chinese (traditional/simplified).
It will add to Rakuten Travel, a travel reservation service, which offers a large number of affiliated lodging facilities in Japan and a wide variety of travel plans. It also features sites in seven different languages (English, Japanese, French, simplified and traditional Chinese, Korean, Thai and Bahasa Indonesian).
Through the investment, Rakuten will strengthen its inbound tourism business in Japan, focusing mainly on visitors from Southeast Asia.
FinSMEs
06/07/2015