Puma Private Equity, a growth capital provider for small and medium enterprises, has led the recent £8.3m series B investment round into TravelLocal, a global brand and managed marketplace for tailor-made holidays, in celebration of World Tourism Day. The funding round, also participated by Active Partners and Gresham House Ventures, will support TravelLocal’s international growth, managed marketplace platform, and brand marketing activities.
TravelLocal’s ‘innovative’ model aims to revolutionize tailor-made holidays by connecting customers directly with handpicked, trusted local travel experts based on their destination, and has helped over 70,000 customers create their dream trip since its launch in 2016. The platform enables bookings with over 500 individual local travel experts across 271 partner companies, providing personalized itineraries for clients.
“This funding round reflects the excellent growth opportunity we now have, and the first-class team we have built to tackle it,” said Tom Stapleton, CEO of TravelLocal. Meanwhile, investment director Mark Lyons of Puma Private Equity noted that “there is huge scope for TravelLocal to grow and continue transforming the tailor-made holiday industry” despite the pandemic.
The recent investment follows TravelLocal’s successful merger with Trip.me and supports the brand’s efforts to promote more authentic, sustainable, and meaningful travel experiences. Bdaily reports on this exciting development in the travel industry.
