House of Travel

What House of Travel does

House of Travel Limited is a privately-held New Zealand travel agency founded in 1988 and headquartered in Christchurch, operating a 100+ store retail network across New Zealand alongside an online booking platform, call center, Face2Face video appointments, and iOS/Android mobile applications. The company sells flights, curated package holidays, cruises, and tours — the latter powered by a white-label integration with TourRadar that covers operators including Trafalgar, Globus, Intrepid, Contiki, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Hurtigruten — together with add-on products such as travel insurance, foreign currency (via Travelex), and split-payment or interest-free installment options.

Revenue is generated principally on a transaction-fee basis, taking commissions from airlines, hotels, tour operators, and cruise lines on bookings made via stores, phone, video, or website, with an additional online booking fee applied to web transactions. Customer segments are horizontal across New Zealand leisure travelers (individual adults, families, couples, and solo travelers), with stated cumulative throughput of 1.5 million Kiwis over 37 years and a 93% five-star satisfaction rate.

The platform architecture combines a proprietary flight search/booking engine and itinerary-management mobile apps with outsourced capabilities — TourRadar for tour inventory, Braintree for PCI-DSS compliant card processing, and POLi for direct account-to-account payments. Distribution reaches markets across the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and Central America, though legally the offering is directed solely at travelers departing from New Zealand. Leadership includes CEO David Coombes and founder/executive chairman Chris Paulsen; the company has been recognized with a 2024 Best Places to Work award in the large business category and has partnered with Hospice New Zealand since 2005.

Name

House of Travel

Legal name

House of Travel Limited

Website

https://houseoftravel.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

House of Travel is a privately-held New Zealand travel agency operating 100+ retail stores plus an online platform, mobile apps, and video consultations, selling flights, package holidays, cruises, and tours to New Zealand leisure travelers via supplier commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510)

akta.pro primary industry

Cruise Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAF)

Keywords

• Travel agency services
• Flight booking
• Package holidays
• Cruise booking
• Guided tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Christchurch

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Commissions: House of Travel acts as agent for airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, hotels, and transport providers. Receives commissions and fees from suppliers for bookings made through stores and online platform.
2. Online Booking Fees: A House of Travel Online Booking Fee applies to all online bookings made through the website. Amendment fees also charged for changes after booking.
3. Tour Package Sales: Revenue from selling curated holiday packages, tours, and cruise itineraries from third-party operators including Globus, Trafalgar, Intrepid, Contiki, and Princess Cruises.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

House of Travel is a New Zealand travel agency that sells flights, curated package holidays, cruises, and guided tours on behalf of airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, and accommodation providers. The company acts as a retail agent, earning commissions and fees from suppliers for bookings made through its 100+ physical stores, online booking website, mobile app, and Face2Face video consultation service.

Product overview

House of Travel is a New Zealand-based online travel agency operating a multi-channel platform consisting of website booking services, a mobile app, physical retail stores, and video consultation services. The core product portfolio includes Flights, Package Holidays, Cruises, and Tours (powered by TourRadar white-label integration), supported by add-on services including Travel Insurance, Holiday Money, and flexible payment options. The company serves customers through both digital self-service channels and assisted sales via physical stores and video appointments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flights Booking Platform Online flight search and booking platform enabling users to compare airlines and book flights to destinations including Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, and USA.
• Package Holidays Curated holiday packages combining flights, accommodation, tours, and experiences, including Tailor Made Holidays with customised itineraries created by travel consultants.
• Cruises Full-service cruise booking platform offering ocean cruises, river cruises, family cruises, expedition cruises, luxury cruises, world cruises, and luxury yacht cruising with cruise-only and package options.
• Tours Tour booking service featuring packages from global operators including Trafalgar, Costsaver, Insight Vacations, Globus, Cosmos, Intrepid, On The Go Tours, and G Adventures, covering guided tours across all continents.
• Deals Marketplace Deals portal featuring discounted travel packages including All Inclusive offers, seasonal sales, destination-specific deals, and themed travel categories such as Family, Couples, Luxury, and Solo Travel.
• Travel Insurance Travel insurance coverage to protect holidays against trip disruptions, medical emergencies, and travel-related risks, available as an add-on to bookings.
• Holiday Money (Travelex) Foreign currency exchange services through partnership with Travelex for holiday money needs.
• House of Travel Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS and Android that enables users to view full holiday itineraries, access booking details, count down to travel dates, and contact travel consultants while traveling.
• Face2Face Video Appointments Video appointment booking service allowing customers to connect with experienced travel consultants virtually for personalised travel planning and advice.
• Physical Store Network Network of 100+ physical retail stores across New Zealand staffed by travel consultants, including stores in major cities and regions with face-to-face consultation services.
• Split Payment Options Flexible payment solutions including interest-free installment plans via Q Card, Q Mastercard, and GEM VISA for purchases over NZD $499, as well as deposit-only booking options with balance due later.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of customers rate House of Travel 5/5
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TrafalgarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTours offered through House of Travel including Britain & Ireland Highlights, Bohemian Highlights, and Best Of Italy packages. Part of the Contiki Holdings group.
• GlobuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor tour operator featured on House of Travel offering tours across Europe, Americas, and worldwide destinations including Imperial Splendors, Contrasts of Italy, and Swiss Splendors.
• IntrepidcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium and adventure tour operator offering tours including Premium Tanzania, Premium Namibia, and various adventure experiences worldwide.
• ContikicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth and young adult travel operator offering tours including Greek Island Hopping and German Christmas Markets.
• Princess CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor cruise line with extensive sailings from Auckland and Sydney including Crown Princess, Royal Princess, Grand Princess, and Sapphire Princess itineraries.
• Carnival Cruise LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst-ever Carnival sailings from Auckland departing June 2027 with 9-night Fiji itineraries on Carnival Adventure.
• CostsaverminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValue-focused European tour operator offering Iberian Explorer and other budget-conscious touring options.
• CosmosminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValue touring brand offering tours including Canadian Masterpiece with Rocky Mountaineer.
• G AdventuresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAdventure tour operator offering unique experiences including Laos: Sunrises & Street Food, Maldives Dhoni Explorer, and Philippines tours.
• HurtigrutenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian expedition cruise operator offering Hurtigruten Coastal Voyages.
• Royal CaribbeanminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor cruise line featured with family cruise offerings.
• Air New ZealandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational airline partner featured on packages including Saletoga Sands Resort packages and Fiji deals.
• Journey Beyond (The Ghan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian rail experiences including The Ghan Adelaide to Darwin and The Ghan Expedition.
• Hospice New ZealandminorOthersCharitable partnership since 2005 grounded in compassion, care, and community support.
• Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)minorOthersIndustry association membership displayed in footer indicating industry affiliation and accreditation.
• International Air Transport Association (IATA)minorOthersIATA accreditation shown in footer, enabling airline ticketing capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Flight Centre Travel Group: ASX-listed retail travel agency group with a comparable omni-channel retail and corporate model across Australia and New Zealand. Direct competitor for NZ consumer travel bookings, with overlapping supplier commissions and store network.
• helloworld Travel: ASX-listed retail travel agency network spanning Australia and New Zealand with franchise stores and a travel consultant model. Closest head-to-head competitor in NZ retail travel, particularly in leisure and cruise.
• Orbit World Travel: NZ-headquartered travel management company serving corporate and government clients. Comparable in operating geography and NZ market presence, though more weighted toward corporate/managed travel than leisure.
• Webjet: ASX-listed online travel agency with B2C (Webjet OTA) and B2B (WebBeds) businesses serving AU/NZ consumers. Competes with House of Travel on flights and package holidays, particularly on price and digital UX.
• First Travel Group: NZ-based retail travel agency consortium of independent stores. Competes directly with House of Travel in the NZ leisure and corporate travel agency segment.

Broad incumbents

• Booking Holdings: Global OTA conglomerate (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK) competing with House of Travel across flights, accommodation, and packages. Major indirect competitor capturing NZ consumer bookings online.
• Expedia Group: Global OTA group (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo) competing for NZ outbound travel demand. Indirect but structurally significant competitor to traditional retail agencies like House of Travel.

Emerging players

• Corporate Travel Management: ASX-listed corporate travel management company with AU/NZ presence. Comparable in travel agency services but focused on corporate rather than leisure; signals adjacency for House of Travel's Face2Face/corporate ambitions.
• StudentUniverse: Youth and student travel agency operator (now under Flight Centre). Overlaps with House of Travel's Contiki-backed youth tours and student/solo traveller segments.

Others

• Travelex: Global foreign exchange provider already in partnership with House of Travel for holiday money services. Adjacent ecosystem participant relevant for cross-sell and ancillary revenue strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/houseoftravel
• Facebookfacebook.com/houseoftravelNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/house-of-travel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about House of Travel