ActivityBeds is a well thought B2B startup which aims to find a solution to a Travel industry challenge as opposed to a solution looking for a problem. We had looked at the challenges Travel Partners face in the tours and activities market in terms of fragmentation and distribution and is preparing itself to address them. ActivityBeds focus on more experiential-type, more adventurous tours and gives the solution of the problem Travel Partners Face. On the Supply Side we are getting small local tours providers to be able to offer their content electronically and that is the area where we are building the Niche.
ActivityBeds was build as a curated Marketplace platform for local travel activities and with problem of Travel Partners in mind.
We are going after a piece of a $125 billion Global "Activities & Transfers", market as estimated by Euromonitor, and, of which, the Asia Pacific region accounts for about a third. According to Activitybeds, Nobody had taken up the case of the Travel Partners. The rivals for attention in the space mostly cover Direct to Consumer leaving the Travel Partners in Lurch. Also online penetration in tours and activities remains quite low.
We focus on Indian Travel Partners and is planning concepts such as exclusive deals and instant ticketing to help set it apart from the rest.
What problem does ActivityBeds resolve?
Travel Industry problem no.1:
Fragmented and largely offline, hence individual operators often do not have resources to spend on marketing or technology
ActivityBeds solution:
With a full suite of in-house content management and reservation systems, operators can now showcase the unique experiences and services they have to offer online. For Travel Partners, this means a central hub to accomplish the last leg of their planning
Travel Industry problem no.2:
Lack of price transparency due to multiple layers of distribution in the travel activities space
ActivityBeds solution:
Connect directly with local operators to negotiate exclusive deals that offer significant discounts to Travel Partners. Thanks to direct partnerships, we can also better vet their services
How did the initial idea evolve and were there changes/any pivots along the way in the early stages?
The initial idea was to set up a site where Travel Partners can explore various Activities Options of the particular Destination & make the decision based on their customer Style & Taste.
But, we quickly realized that the current market do not support this , since for every Destination there are the small companies themselves called “DMC (Destination Management Companies). These companies offer booking but with certain terms & conditions like Minimum 100 USD bookings, No Ala-Carte approach, Very skeptical in providing Cancellation policies & forcing Travel Partners to deposit the minimum amount (which is Non refundable) for Confirming every Booking. Also the Services of these companies are pathetic where the Suppliers do take customers on the Tasks thereby leaving to Bad reviews for the Travel Partners.
Based on these problems we launched the Marketplace where the Travel partners can do the Booking with the ActivityBeds Handpicked suppliers at transparent prices & great services. Since we do pay to the Suppliers after the completion of the Tour thereby ascertaining that the services are upto the ActivityBeds quality standard.
Besides we also want to have the human touch to our Partners for any issues they face so we had Dedicated Account Managers who will look after any issues of Travel Partners 24 X7
Why should Travel Partners use ActivityBeds?
It's the convenience of a one-stop-shop for booking all your Activities as well as:
Unbeatable prices with our exclusive deals that offer up to 50% discount
Worry-free with our travel curators carefully handpicking experiences and vetting local operators
Where do we see the company in three years time?
In three years time, ActivityBeds Marketplace will be the go-to-platform to book all sorts of fun things-to-do globally with the 1Mn Travel partners across Global Demand Markets.
What is wrong with the travel, tourism and hospitality industry that it requires a startup like ActivityBeds to help it out?
The travel activities space is largely fragmented and offline but now Travel Partners are moving online – there’s clearly a gap in matching demand and supply.
There is an overwhelming amount of unorganized information in travel itinerary planning – ActivityBeds provides a curated selection of activities matching varied interests on transparent prices ,so Travel Partners can easily make a informed Decision based on their customer needs.
Exclusive deals/flash sales have been popular with flights and hotel packages, but travel activities have been left out. ActivityBeds is the first to bring this "exclusive deals" concept to travel activities
The reason why there’s no price transparency with travel activities is due to the many layers of distribution traditionally – ActivityBeds now connects directly with local operators to get the best deals.
