Otravo

What Otravo does

Otravo, now operating under the Tix Travel Group umbrella following the February 2023 acquisition of bankrupt Otravo's Benelux brands, is an online travel agency (OTA) and the stated market leader in the Benelux for online air travel sales. The company was founded in 1987 and operates a multi-brand portfolio across the Netherlands and Belgium, including Vliegtickets.nl, Tix.nl, WTC.nl, Gate1.nl, Vliegtickets.be, Schipholtickets.nl, Billetdavion.be, and Goedkopevliegtuigtickets.be. Otravo serves approximately 700,000 passengers annually and reports an annual turnover of nearly €300 million, with primary markets in the Netherlands and Belgium plus offices in Saarbrücken, Germany and Willemstad, Curaçao. Leadership includes founder Phillippe de Knijff, CTO Sjors Grijpink, CCO-Air José Salvado, and CFO Martin Hulsman, and the company received Waterland Private Equity investment in 2016.

The underlying technology consists of proprietary online travel booking platforms and fare-comparison websites aggregated under multiple consumer-facing brand domains, supplemented by physical Travel Centers in Breda and Enschede that provide offline personalized support to online customers. The platform aggregates fares from major airlines and integrates inventory for hotels, car rentals, activity tickets, and destination travel guides, enabling self-serve B2C booking across the end-to-end journey.

Otravo's revenue model is commission-based transaction fees on completed bookings, with revenue streams spanning flight tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, and activity tickets. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through owned brand websites and the Travel Centers, with airline commercial partnerships (including China Airlines, Xiamen Air, and Turkish Airlines) functioning as demand-generation channels. Customer segmentation targets both Individual Travelers and Business Travelers, with a horizontal segmentation approach covering flight search, accommodation, ground transport, and destination activities.

Name

Otravo

Legal name

Tix Travel Group

Website

https://otravo.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Otravo is a Benelux online travel agency operating multiple consumer brands (Vliegtickets.nl, Tix.nl, WTC.nl, Gate1.nl, and Belgian sites) that sells flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities to approximately 700,000 passengers annually, generating nearly €300 million in turnover.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Agency

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service OTAs (Flights/Hotels/Packages) (THAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flight-Focused OTAs & Airfare Marketplaces (THAKAAAC), Destination/Activity Booking Marketplaces (Tours & Tickets Aggregators) (THAKAAAH)

Keywords

• Online travel agency
• Flight booking platform
• Hotel reservations
• Travel comparison
• Benelux travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Flight Ticket Sales: Commission-based revenue from comparing and selling flight tickets from major airlines. Earns commissions on completed bookings for commercial partners including China Airlines, Xiamen Air, and Turkish Airlines.
2. Hotel Bookings: Commission revenue from hotel reservation bookings made through the platform.
3. Car Rental: Commission-based revenue from car rental bookings facilitated through the platform.
4. Activity Tickets: Revenue from skip-the-line tickets and advance bookings for activities at destinations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Otravo operates as an online travel agency (OTA) in the Benelux region, offering flight ticket comparison and booking, hotel reservations, car rentals, and activity tickets through multiple brand websites (Vliegtickets.nl, Tix.nl, WTC.nl, Gate1.nl, Vliegtickets.be, Schipholtickets.nl, Billetdavion.be, Goedkopevliegtuigtickets.be). The platform serves approximately 700,000 passengers annually with an annual turnover of nearly 300 million euros, complemented by physical Travel Centers in Breda and Enschede for personalized service.

Product overview

Tix Travel Group operates a multi-brand online travel agency platform serving the Benelux region. The company offers a comprehensive suite of travel services including flight comparison and booking, hotel reservations, car rental, and activity tickets. The portfolio consists of multiple sub-brands acquired from Otravo (which declared bankruptcy in 2022) including Vliegtickets.nl, Vliegtickets.be, WTC.nl, and Schipholtickets.nl, alongside organically developed brands like Gate1 and Tix.nl, plus Belgian acquisitions Billetdavion.be and Goedkopevliegtuigtickets.be. The company serves approximately 700,000 passengers annually with an annual turnover of nearly 300 million euros, supported by both online platforms and physical Travel Centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gate1: Online travel booking platform offering flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities.

Products and services

• Flight Tickets Service Online flight comparison and booking service that aggregates fares from all major airlines (including commercial partners such as China Airlines, Xiamen Air, and Turkish Airlines), enabling consumers to find and book flight tickets for their journeys.
• Hotels Service Hotel booking service allowing users to make reservations and find accommodations at destinations worldwide.
• Car Rental Service Car rental booking service enabling users to rent vehicles anywhere in the world for ground transportation during their trips.
• Activities Service Activity booking service allowing users to skip lines and book tickets for activities at destinations in advance.
• Travel Guides Service Travel inspiration service providing insights and guidance from locals at destinations to help travelers plan their trips.
• Travel Centers Physical travel center locations in Breda and Enschede providing offline personalized customer service to complement the online booking offerings, including assistance for booking and flight-related queries.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• China AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2024Commercial partnership where Tix Travel Group serves as a sales channel for China Airlines in the Dutch market. The partnership has been recognized with a Gold Award for outstanding commercial performance and collaboration over the past year.
• Xiamen AircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2024Partnership with Xiamen Air that earned Tix Travel Group the Top Performance Sales Award. The partnership was recognized at a special event in The Hague, demonstrating strong sales performance.
• Billetdavion.beminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2024Belgian ticket website acquired by Tix Travel Group to strengthen position in Benelux region. Brand holds a unique position in Belgian market and has been established for over 10 years.
• Goedkopevliegtuigtickets.beminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2024Belgian ticket website acquired by Tix Travel Group as part of Benelux expansion strategy. Both brands were acquired simultaneously and represent established market positions in Belgium.
• Turkish AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2023Leading sales partnership for Turkish Airlines in the Netherlands. Tix Travel Group was honored with an award for achieving the highest sales in the Netherlands, recognized at a special dinner event at Schiphol Airport.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Expedia Group: Major global OTA operating brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo with extensive European presence. Comparable as a full-service OTA competitor offering flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities to European consumers including Benelux markets.
• Trip.com Group: Global OTA operating Trip.com, Ctrip, and Skyscanner with strong European presence through Skyscanner. Comparable as a major global OTA competitor whose Skyscanner brand directly competes in flight meta-search across Tix's European markets.
• TUI Nederland: Dutch arm of TUI Group, one of Europe's largest integrated travel and tourism companies. Comparable as a major Benelux travel brand competing for similar Dutch and Belgian leisure travelers with combined online booking and physical retail presence (Travel Centers).
• Booking.com: Global leader in online travel accommodations and a major OTA serving European markets including the Netherlands and Belgium. Directly comparable because it competes for the same Benelux travel customers across flights, hotels, and ancillary services, but at vastly greater scale and with broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Skyscanner: Leading global flight meta-search and comparison platform owned by Trip.com Group. Direct competitor in the flight comparison and discovery category, serving many of the same European consumers searching for airfare options that Tix Travel Group monetizes.
• lastminute.com: European OTA focused on leisure travel deals, packages, flights, and hotels across multiple European markets. Comparable as a multi-brand online travel seller with similar transactional commission model targeting European consumers seeking competitive fares.
• CheapTickets.nl: Dutch OTA brand focused on budget flight ticket sales and travel deals to Dutch consumers. Direct peer in the Dutch budget airfare segment, competing for price-sensitive travelers in the same market as Vliegtickets.nl and Tix.nl.
• Traveldeal.nl: Dutch online travel agency offering discounted flights, hotels, and package deals primarily to Dutch consumers. Direct peer because it competes head-to-head in the Dutch OTA market with similar transaction-based commission model on flights and packages.

Regional players

• Sunweb Group: Major Dutch online tour operator specializing in package holidays (flights + hotels) with strong brand recognition in Netherlands and Belgium. Comparable as a Benelux-focused travel seller competing for similar Dutch and Belgian leisure customers with package-oriented offerings.
• Corendon: Dutch tour operator and airline offering package holidays, flights, and accommodations with strong Benelux market presence. Comparable as a Benelux-focused travel brand combining flights and package offerings for similar Dutch and Belgian consumers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Otravo