TravelLocal, the specialist Bristol firm that connects travellers with local experts in destinations around the world, is poised for global expansion after merging with a German online travel business.
The tie-up with Berlin-based trip.me has been accompanied by additional funding from the two firms’ existing investors. 
The move, on which Bristol-headquartered law firm TLT advised TravelLocal, will create a global online marketplace for tailor-made travel.
It comes as international travel restrictions continue to ease and demand for holiday and travel services rebound strongly.
TravelLocal was launched in 2012 to empower travellers to create their own tailored holidays. It received funding from Gresham House Ventures in 2019 which enabled it to expand into new markets.
Gresham is also involved in the latest £2.5m investment along with Active Partners. It will help fuel further growth as the sector rebounds following the pandemic and brings the total raised by the combined entities to £13m.
The merged business, which offers holidays to almost 100 destinations and has customers from over 100 countries worldwide, , including the USA, the UK, Germany, Canada and Australia. It will continue to focus on tailor-made private itineraries for mid to high-end clients while also creating significant online marketplaces with a strong presence in English-language and German-language markets.
The firms described the move as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together two of the leading teams in the industry and significant market share.
The merged business will continue to focus on tailor-made private itineraries, primarily in the long and mid-haul segments. This part of the travel market grew strongly pre-Covid, boosted by appetite for authentic, experiential travel.
The two brands are leaders in their respective markets with outstanding reputations – each with a Net Promoter Score over 80).
TravelLocal is one of the few travel companies to have fully honoured its refund obligations, and recognised in the Which? list of ‘24 travel companies you can trust with your money’.
Initially both brands will be retained, given their strengths in different markets, pending a strategic brand review. The existing teams and headcount are not affected by the merger.
TravelLocal CEO Tom Stapleton said: “Covid is accelerating an epochal change in the travel industry. Ethical and sustainable travel that contributes substantially and directly into local economies is at the forefront of global consumer trends now.
“This merger combines the strength of two of the most significant pioneers in this area at the perfect time.”
trip.me co-founder Matthias Woppman added: “The combination of TravelLocal and trip.me is a powerful one, really opening up international growth potential and significantly expanding our destination coverage and supply. We can see signs of recovery now and look forward to accelerating into the rebound of travel.”
The TLT team was led by legal director Dan Whitewood alongside solicitor Matthew Howells and trainee solicitor Kiran Khanna.
Dan Whitewood added: “It is great to see such an encouraging transformation already within the travel industry, which is central to the global economic recovery.
“TravelLocal and trip.me’s forward-looking, ethical and sustainable approach to travel positions them as pioneers in their field and we look forward to seeing them emerge from the pandemic even stronger.
“The merger reflects an active merger and acquisition and private equity market in the travel and tourism sector. With Covid restrictions easing and the economy unlocking, there will be plenty of investment appetite as competitive companies with unique offerings make up for lost time and look to accelerate their growth.”
