Cleartrip (previously known as Cleartrip Travel Services Private Limited) is a global online travel agency, headquartered in Mumbai.[1][2]
History
editCleartrip was founded in 2006 as a hotels and air aggregator by Stuart Crighton, Hrush Bhatt, and Matthew Spacie. Seeing the fragmentation that existed in the Indian travel and hospitality sector, the founders decided to enter the online travel space.[3]
Cleartrip also operates Cleartrip for Business,[4] an online corporate travel management tool; Agent Box,[5] a travel tool for travel agents; and Cleartrip Mobile,[6] a travel booking app for mobile devices. In 2012, it launched new services such as Quickeys, a hotel booking application[7] and other journey planning services.[8][9]
In January 2013, Cleartrip brought air, rail and bus tickets to Apple's Passbook.[10][11] The same year the company undertook a massive UI redesign project, Tuxedo where every field in the website was thought through in terms of placement, display, action.[12]
In 2014, Cleartrip Mobile was recognized as part of Apple's Best of 2014 Trends of the year and also featured as the ‘Editor's Pick.[13][14]
In April 2018, Cleartrip launched an Arabic version of its website to target the growing Arabic community in the GCC region.[15]
In May 2018, Cleartrip launched an app for Amazon's Alexa voice assistant that enables Alexa users to voice search air travel options.[16][17]
In 2018, Cleartrip was named as one among the only two companies that followed the GDPR and allowed users to delete personal information associated with their accounts.[18]
In June 2020, Cleartrip announced the launch of TravelSafe – an initiative that allowed customers to get information of the latest travel restrictions on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.[19][20]
Acquisition & Partnership
editIn 2017, Google announced partnership with Cleartrip for its flight search application, Google Flights.[21]
In May 2018, Cleartrip had extended its partnership with Klook and Musement, global activity platforms to amplify its integrated travel services in 48 European and 18 Southeast Asian countries.[22]
In June 2018, Cleartrip announced its partnership with Kerala Tourism Development Corporation to become an online seller of KTDC's exclusive set of activities.[23]
In 2019, e-commerce company Amazon forayed into the flight booking space by partnering with Cleartrip.[24]
In November 2019, Cleartrip entered into a partnership with PAYBACK India for a loyalty program.[25]
In 2021, Cleartrip expanded its partnership with Sabre as a strategy to streamline its GDS relationships and to make Sabre its GDS partner.[26]
In April 2021, Cleartrip was acquired in an undisclosed deal by Walmart owned Flipkart.[27]
In October 2021, the Adani group picked up a minority stake in Cleartrip for an undisclosed amount.[28]
Operations
editKleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Ram Shriram and DAG Ventures were some of the early investors in Cleartrip.[29]
In May 2010, Cleartrip launched its first overseas venture in the UAE.[30] In May 2012, it expanded its operations to the Persian Gulf nations of Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.[31] On June 21, 2018, Cleartrip announced the acquisition of Saudi Arabia-based online travel aggregator Flyin.[32]
References
edit- ^ "Cleartrip acquires Saudi Arabia's online travel firm Flyin". Arab News. 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Cleartrip offers cab booking services". The Hindu. 3 September 2012.
- ^ "Crystal clear: Using design as a differentiator in a crowded market". NDTV. 10 March 2014.
- ^ ""Cleartrip targets 2000 corporates"". Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ ""Cleartrip registered more than 3000 agents in India"". Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ ""Cleartrip launches mobile travel solution"". Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ Rai, Aman. "Cleartrip Launches Last Minute Hotel Booking Service, Quickeys". medianama.com.
- ^ Rai, Anand. "Cleartrip expands its hotels product with the launch of Weekend Getaways service, what's on offer?". techcircle.vccircle.com.
- ^ "Cleartrip launches visually-appealing travel guides, Collections". NDTV.
- ^ "Cleartrip allows paperless boarding pass on iOS and third-party Android apps via Passbook". Techcircle. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Cleartrip becomes first Indian online travel agency to feature on Apple Watch". Business Line. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Cleartrip revamps Flight and Hotel search". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Cleartrip hires Indroneel Dutt and Ankit Rastogi as CFO and VP". Daily News and Analysis. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Still confused about the weekend? Try these 5 apps to enjoy local experiences". www.aninews.in. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Kar, Sanghamitra (23 June 2017). "Cleartrip now speaks Arabic". The Economic Times.
- ^ Sathe, Gopal (17 April 2018). "Cleartrip on Alexa Integration, Building Apps for Voice, and the Smart Speakers Scene in India". NDTV.
- ^ "Cleartrip enables Alexa users to voice search air travel options". Hindustan Times. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Most Indian Companies Don't Let You Delete Your Account. And They Won't Say Why". HuffPost India. 13 June 2018.
- ^ Chaturvedi, Anumeha. "Cleartrip introduces TravelSafe across markets in Middle East, India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Cleartrip launches Travel Safe initiative". Business Traveller. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Google Flights ties up with ClearTrip in India expansion bid". The Economic Times. 18 September 2017.
- ^ Chaturvedi, Anumeha (8 May 2018). "Cleartrip launches end-to-end experiential travel in Europe, South East Asia". The Economic Times.
- ^ Kar, Sanghamitra (7 June 2018). "Cleartrip Tied Up With KTDC". BusinessWorld.
- ^ "Amazon Launches Flight Bookings in India in a Superapp Strategy". Skift. 16 May 2019.
- ^ Himatsingka, Anuradha (27 November 2019). "Cleartrip enters into a partnership with PAYBACK India to offer special loyalty program". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Network, T3 News. "Cleartrip expands partnership with Sabre". www.traveltrendstoday.in. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Flipkart Acquires Cleartrip to Further Expand Online Business". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Gautam Adani's Adani Group Buys Minority Stake in Cleartrip". News18. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Indian travel site Cleartrip raises $8M from DAG Ventures — because DAG can react within 48 hours". VentureBeat. 12 December 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Cleartrip launches UAE operations" Economic Times 2010-05-06
- ^ Fernz, Charmaine. "Cleartrip to invest and expand localized operations in the GCC". Travel Daily Media.
- ^ "Cleartrip & Flyin join forces". Flyin. Retrieved 21 June 2018.