Go Zayaan raises $2.5m for expansion

Bangladeshi travel-tech startup Go Zayaan has raised $2.6 million in a seed round led by Wavemaker Partners, one of Southeast Asia's leading venture capital firms, according to a press release.

The startup aims to  improve user experience, attract new talents and bring more people and  travel services online with the funds, it said.

"The future is online and Bangladesh will be no different. We are here to build the future of travel," said Go Zayaan Founder Ridwan Hafiz.

Previously, the company had raised its pre-seed round fund from BRAC Osiris Impact Ventures and OS Venture.

Go Zayaan began its journey in 2017 as an online travel agency in order to develop a travel infrastructure that solves people's issues pertaining to booking travel services, and cater to the growing demand for bookings for travels and accommodations in Bangladesh.

The startup said Bangladesh's travel market is growing rapidly. However, less than 5 per cent of bookings take place online.

Go  Zayaan also said that it is actively bridging this gap by bringing  accommodations and other travel services online and making those easily  accessible to everyone.

Go Zayaan maintains the same modality for booking flights, hotels and even tours.

One  just simply has to go to the website www.gozayaan.com, browse their  preferred mode of travel, compare prices and book the most convenient  path to their destination.

"This process requires no assistance and the users can go wherever they please, possibilities are endless," it added.

The  company went on to say that when everything came to a halt amid the  pandemic, it focused on domestic tourism by partnering with local  airlines, hotels and tour operators that had no presence in the digital  space.

"This helped the company navigate through the challenges of  the pandemic and achieve more sustainable growth," it said, adding that  Go Zayaan provides full flight coverage and it is connected to 400 plus  hotels.

The company has more than 500,000 active monthly users with 40 per cent repeat customers.