On Traveloka’s 13th anniversary, Mr. Caesar Indra – Traveloka President, shared the platform’s journey of establishment and development, key milestones achieved in the region and Vietnam, as well as in-depth insights into changing travel trends and behaviors.
Can you share the key milestones Traveloka has achieved over its 13 years of establishment and growth? Specifically in the Vietnamese market, what accomplishments has Traveloka achieved?
Traveloka started in 2012 as a simple meta-search engine to solve travelers’ core problem of traveling from Indonesia to the world. What began as a simple desire to ease our travel frustrations has transformed the region’s travel and technology landscape. At Traveloka, we believe that everyone deserves to travel, and travel is more than just moving from one place to another: it’s about experiences, connections, and discoveries.
With technology as our main lever, Traveloka addresses major information gaps in travel discovery and booking and has now become one of the largest tech companies that call Southeast Asia home, having its app downloaded more than 140 million times with over 40 million monthly active users across the region. This growth has been made possible by the dedication of our people, partners, and travelers, who have been with us throughout our 13-year journey.
With the support of our customers and partners, we’ve grown our business beyond Southeast Asia. Today, travelers can find also us in Australia and Japan. We’ve also continued to expand our product offerings, allowing travelers in the APAC region to access, discover, and purchase a wide range of travel-related products such as flight tickets, accommodations, attractions, and on-ground transport, not just in APAC but also globally.
Based on Traveloka’s insights and data, what suggestions does the platform have for Vietnamese tourism businesses to seize opportunities in the rapidly growing tourism landscape?
Based on insights from our white paper Travel Redefined: Understanding and Catering to the Diverse Needs of APAC Travelers, three key trends will continue shaping the travel landscape in 2025 and beyond. Digital transformation is accelerating across APAC, with technology playing an increasingly vital role in travel planning and booking. However, trust and digital maturity vary across markets, influencing adoption rates. Domestic tourism remains strong, especially in countries like Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand, where travelers prioritize safety, affordability, and culturally rich experiences. Meanwhile, sustainability awareness is rising, particularly in markets such as India and Vietnam, despite challenges like cost and accessibility.
As we navigate these broader APAC trends, Vietnam emerges as a dynamic market with distinct traveler behaviors and preferences. By leveraging insights from our white paper, we aim to align our offerings to enhance travel experiences and drive sustainable growth in Vietnam’s tourism sector.
- Vietnamese travelers place significant emphasis on rest and recharge trips (23%), aligning with the APAC regional average of 26%. A notable 59% of Vietnamese travelers show a strong preference for beach destinations, surpassing the APAC average of 56%, which highlights their distinct travel motivations and decision-making factors. The top destinations for Vietnamese travelers include Da Nang, Nha Trang, Vinh, Hue, Phu Quoc, Hai Phong, and Da Lat, reflecting the country’s strong affinity for coastal escapes.
- Additionally, nearly half (49%) of Vietnamese travelers prefer domestic travel, while 31% favor international trips—a significantly lower proportion compared to Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan, where 70% of respondents prioritize domestic travel.
- Digital tools for travel planning are gaining traction, with 35% of Vietnamese travelers using online platforms for bookings. This reflects growing trust in online travel services for streamlined bookings. Moreover, over half (53%) of Vietnamese travelers consider social media a key source for discovering new destinations, reflecting the importance of engaging content in influencing travel decisions.
Can you share Traveloka’s upcoming development plans for Vietnam, especially in the face of increasing competition in the online travel industry?
Traveloka’s vision is to shape the future of travel through continuous innovation, seamless experiences, and enhanced offerings for travelers worldwide. Over the next five years, we are focused on three key priorities: market expansion, technological advancements, and customer experience enhancement.
In the last 13 years, we have turned distance into connections. We are proud to be in growth mode, delivering double-digit topline growth for two consecutive years while maintaining positive operating profit. Profitability is important to us, but our focus remains on expanding our customer base and enriching our product offerings. While we started in Southeast Asia, we are now expanding beyond the region, establishing our presence in key APAC markets. Today, customers can find us in eight countries: Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Australian market, which we entered last year, has already shown promising growth. This year, we’ve expanded into Japan. Looking ahead, we’re exploring more exciting opportunities to expand into new APAC markets in 2025.
We are dedicated to shaping the future of travel, for our customers and communities. Our goal will continue to be focused on offering our customers the widest range of travel options; this is only made possible through strong global partnerships, and we will continue to deepen our partnerships across the region. Today, we have established strong partnerships with over 300 airlines, 2.2 million accommodation providers, and more than 90,000 travel activity partners across 100 countries.
Innovation drives our growth. Through AI-driven personalization and data analytics, we enhance user experiences, making travel more seamless, flexible, and rewarding. Our expanding ecosystem connects millions of partners worldwide, integrating transportation, accommodations, and travel activities offerings to create a holistic travel platform. We have over 20 products in our diverse portfolio and continue to innovate. Today, our AI-driven tools offer customers a platform that is more intuitive, innovative, and personalized.
