Alibaba.ir
Alibaba.ir is Iran's leading online travel agency, offering flight, train, bus, hotel, tour, and visa booking to consumers and corporate clients via web and mobile apps, with revenue earned primarily through transaction commissions across eighteen-plus airline and rail partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersTehran, Iran
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Alibaba.ir does
Alibaba.ir (علیبابا) is the leading Iranian online travel agency, founded in 2014 and operated by Safarhaye Alibaba Company from Tehran. The platform consolidates fragmented domestic travel supply — nine Iranian airlines, Iran Railway, intercity bus operators, hotels and villas across cities including Kish and Mashhad, package tours, visa services, and travel insurance — alongside nine international carriers serving outbound corridors to Turkey and the UAE, into a single consumer storefront accessible via responsive web and native iOS/Android applications. Differentiating product features include a price calendar for date-flexible comparison, advanced multi-airline search filters, integrated online refund processing, and 24/7 multi-channel customer support; a seller panel (seller.alibaba.ir) and corporate Safarcard program extend distribution to travel agencies and enterprise buyers, while an Installment Travel product and an Alibaba Plus premium membership broaden the commercial model beyond pay-per-transaction.
Alibaba.ir firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alibaba.ir
- Legal name
- شرکت سفرهای علیبابا (Safarhaye Alibaba Company)
- Website
- https://alibaba.ir
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Alibaba.ir is Iran's leading online travel agency, offering flight, train, bus, hotel, tour, and visa booking to consumers and corporate clients via web and mobile apps, with revenue earned primarily through transaction commissions across eighteen-plus airline and rail partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Alibaba.ir industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Booking
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B OTA/White-Label Booking Platforms & Affiliate Networks (THAKAAAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Trip Disruption, Rebooking & Irregular Operations (IROPS) Automation (THAKANAG), Embedded Travel Insurance Distribution & APIs (THALALAA), Trip Cancellation/Interruption & Refund Protection Platforms (THALALAB), Underwriting, Pricing & Policy Administration (PAS) for Travel Insurance (THALALAK)
Keywords
Where Alibaba.ir is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tehran
- HQ country
- Iran
- HQ region
- Middle East
Markets served
Alibaba.ir business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales Commission: Platform earns commission on each flight, train, and bus ticket sold through the platform. Transactions facilitated via credit card with Sheba payment system.
- Hotel Booking Commission: Commission revenue from hotel reservations facilitated through the platform for domestic and international properties.
- Tour Package Sales: Revenue from packaged tours (تور) to destinations like Kish and Istanbul, including bundled flight and accommodation.
- Visa Services: Fee-based visa processing and travel visa services for international travel.
- Safarcard Corporate Program: Organizational travel card program (سفرکارت سازمانی) for corporate clients, generating recurring B2B revenue.
- Installment Travel (سفر اقساطی): Installment payment plan for travel bookings, potentially generating financing-related revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-per-transaction ticket and travel service bookings |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Alibaba.ir product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alibaba.ir is an Iranian online travel agency (OTA) marketplace that aggregates and facilitates the sale of domestic and international flight tickets, train and bus tickets, hotel accommodations, tour packages, and visa processing services. The platform connects travelers with multiple airlines, hotel partners, tour operators, and visa service providers, offering price comparison, advanced search filters, installment payment plans, online refunds, and 24/7 customer support.
Product overview
Alibaba.ir is a comprehensive online travel booking platform offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered around domestic and international flight tickets, with related travel modules including train tickets, bus tickets, hotel and villa accommodations, package tours, visa services, travel insurance, and a corporate travel card (Safarcard). The platform also provides an agency panel for travel agencies and an installment travel payment option. All services are accessible via a responsive website and a downloadable mobile app for Android and iOS.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- علی بابا پلاس (Alibaba Plus): Premium membership program offering additional benefits to frequent travelers
Products and services
- Flight Ticket Booking
Quantifiable outcome
- 97.2% customer satisfaction rate with full service quality and willingness to recommend
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Alibaba.ir
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Alibaba.ir technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Alibaba.ir partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Mahan Airlines (ماهان)coreMajor Iranian airline partnered for both domestic and international flight ticket distribution through Alibaba.ir platform. Among airlines featured prominently on the platform.
- Zagros Airlines (زاگرس)coreMajor Iranian low-cost airline partnered for ticket distribution on the platform.
- Turkish AirlinescoreFlag carrier airline partnered for international flights on the Istanbul-Tehran route and other international routes.
- Qatar AirwayscoreInternational airline partnered for Qatar Airways flights sold through Alibaba.ir platform.
- EmiratescoreInternational airline partnered for Dubai and other routes through Alibaba.ir platform.
- FlydubaicoreUAE low-cost airline partnered for international flight ticket sales.
- Air ArabiacoreUAE low-cost airline partnered for Sharjah and other routes.
- IranAirtourcoreIranian airline partnered for international flight ticket distribution.
- Qeshm Air (قشم ایر)coreIranian airline partnered for both domestic and international routes on the platform.
- Kish Air (کیش ایر)coreIranian airline partnered for domestic flight ticket sales on the platform.
- Aseman Airlines (آسمان)coreIranian airline partnered for domestic flight ticket sales.
- Caspian Airlines (کاسپین)coreIranian airline partnered for domestic flight ticket sales.
- Taban Airlines (تابان)coreIranian airline partnered for domestic flight ticket sales.
- Varesh Airlines (وارش)coreIranian airline partnered for domestic and international routes including Istanbul-Tehran.
- Meraj Airlines (معراج)coreIranian airline partnered for domestic flight ticket sales.
- Ajet (ایجت)coreTurkish low-cost airline (AnadoluJet subsidiary) partnered for Istanbul routes.
- Saha Airline (صباح)minorIranian airline partnered for international routes such as Tehran-Istanbul.
- FlyKish (فلایکیش)minorIranian airline partnered for Kish-related and international routes.
- Ava Airlines (اوا ایر)minorIranian airline partnered for international routes including Istanbul-Tehran.
- Iran Railway (راهآهن)coreNational railway operator partnered for train ticket sales on the platform at alibaba.ir/train-ticket.
- Bus Ticket Operators (اتوبوس)coreBus ticket operators partnered for inter-city bus ticket sales on the platform at alibaba.ir/bus-ticket.
- Hotel Partners (هتلها)coreNumerous hotel partners including 5-star hotels in Kish (Shaygan, Toranj, Daryoush) and Mashhad (Darvishi) listed on the platform for hotel booking.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Alibaba.ir competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Musafir: UAE-based online travel agency focused on flights, hotels, and holiday packages to Iran and the wider Middle East. Overlaps with Alibaba.ir on international air distribution to/from Iran and the broader Middle East corridor.
- Yatra.com: Indian OTA covering flights, hotels, trains, buses, and holiday packages. Comparable business model and product portfolio to Alibaba.ir in an adjacent emerging market, useful as a regional benchmark for unit economics.
- Wego: Middle East-focused travel meta-search and OTA. Shares Alibaba.ir's regional orientation (MENA), fare-comparison UX, and reliance on partnerships with global carriers to/from the Middle East.
- Cleartrip: India/Middle East OTA offering flights, hotels, trains, and activities. Comparable product mix and emerging-market focus to Alibaba.ir, with a stronger presence in the UAE that overlaps with Alibaba.ir's stated markets served.
- MakeMyTrip: Leading Indian OTA for flights, hotels, buses, trains, and holidays. Most structurally similar peer to Alibaba.ir: emerging-market OTA, multi-modal (flights + rail + bus + hotel), self-claim of domestic leadership, and reliance on commission economics. Differs in geography and listing status.
Direct peers
- Flytoday: Iranian online travel agency offering flight, hotel, and tour booking. The most direct local competitor to Alibaba.ir, competing head-to-head in domestic Iranian flight distribution with similar commission economics and a comparable B2C/B2B split.
- Mrbilit: Iranian OTA providing flight, train, bus, and hotel booking. Competes with Alibaba.ir in the same domestic market across the same product categories, particularly on price-sensitive domestic routes.
Broad incumbents
- Booking.com: Global OTA leader with broad hotel, flight, and ground transport inventory. Comparable to Alibaba.ir in core OTA mechanics (commission-based booking, multi-supplier aggregation, price comparison) but operates at vastly larger scale and serves international travelers, whereas Alibaba.ir is Iran-domiciled.
- Skyscanner: Global flight meta-search and OTA platform comparing fares across airlines and OTAs. Alibaba.ir replicates a comparable multi-airline price-comparison experience (Price Calendar, advanced filters) on a single-country basis, but Skyscanner operates as a true meta-search layer worldwide.
- Trip.com: Asia-headquartered global OTA offering flights, hotels, trains, and packages. Directly comparable to Alibaba.ir's multi-modal product mix (flight + train + hotel + tour + visa), but with an international footprint and much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Alibaba.ir social profiles
Digital presenceAlibaba.ir financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alibaba.ir leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Alibaba.ir funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alibaba.ir M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alibaba.ir
What does Alibaba.ir do?
Alibaba.ir is an Iranian online travel agency (OTA) marketplace that aggregates and facilitates the sale of domestic and international flight tickets, train and bus tickets, hotel accommodations, tour packages, and visa processing services. The platform connects travelers with multiple airlines, hotel partners, tour operators, and visa service providers, offering price comparison, advanced search filters, installment payment plans, online refunds, and 24/7 customer support.
Is Alibaba.ir a public or private company?
Alibaba.ir is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Alibaba.ir founded?
Alibaba.ir was founded in 2014. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Alibaba.ir based?
Alibaba.ir is headquartered in Tehran, Iran, in the Middle East region.
How does Alibaba.ir make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales Commission is the primary driver. The others are hotel Booking Commission, tour Package Sales, visa Services, safarcard Corporate Program and installment Travel (سفر اقساطی).
Who are Alibaba.ir's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Musafir, Yatra.com, Wego, Cleartrip and MakeMyTrip. Direct peers are Flytoday and Mrbilit. Broad incumbents are Booking.com, Skyscanner and Trip.com.
Does Alibaba.ir have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alibaba.ir.
What industry is Alibaba.ir in?
Alibaba.ir's product category is Online Travel Booking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAAAO, B2B OTA/White-Label Booking Platforms & Affiliate Networks, with a secondary code of THAKANAG, Trip Disruption, Rebooking & Irregular Operations (IROPS) Automation. Its NAICS code is 561510.