Kurban Travel

What Kurban Travel does

Kurban Travel is a privately held, family-owned travel agency founded in Beirut, Lebanon in 1952 by Halim Kurban, now represented in public-facing content by his daughter Nadine Kurban Boutros. The company operates from two offices — headquarters in Beirut and a regional office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates — and is IATA-accredited and licensed under Lebanese law. It arranges corporate, group, and leisure journeys worldwide across two main customer segments: corporate and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) travel as the primary segment, and bespoke leisure/individual travel (honeymoons, civil marriages, cruises, events) as the secondary segment.

The product portfolio spans three core services and several experiential offerings. The three core services are the Online Booking Tool (gokurban.com) — a self-service corporate booking platform with real-time expense visibility, automated invoicing, and zero service fees for in-policy bookings — Corporate Travel management (24/7 support, policy compliance, duty of care, dedicated account management, expense management, and reporting), and MICE Travel (end-to-end event coordination, venue selection, attendee management, on-site logistics). Experiential services include Cruises (with MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean partnerships including MSC Yacht Club premium inventory), Events ticketing and travel packages, Honeymoon planning, and Civil Marriage ceremonies in Cyprus and Turkey. The published Destinations portfolio covers Bali, Mykonos, Paris, Portugal, and Rome, and Le Carnet is a content/editorial sub-brand featuring travel stories from the founder's daughter.

Kurban Travel generates revenue principally through supplier commissions on booked airline, hotel, and cruise inventory, supplemented by service fees and bespoke quotation markups on curated itineraries. The corporate online booking tool is marketed as having zero service fees, implying revenue is derived from supplier commissions on transaction flow rather than per-booking fees. Distribution is hybrid: a self-service online portal (gokurban.com) for in-policy corporate bookings, paired with direct sales via dedicated account managers for enterprise clients and phone/email enquiry handling for leisure and smaller corporate accounts. The technology stack is described as a web-based booking portal integrated with standard Global Distribution Systems and live-chat/helpdesk services, with no proprietary technology platform, no public APIs, no mobile apps, and no disclosed AI capabilities. The company is privately held with no external funding rounds or acquisitions disclosed.

Name

Kurban Travel

Legal name

Kurban Travel

Website

https://kurbantravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kurban Travel is a privately held, IATA-accredited Lebanese travel agency founded in 1952, operating from Beirut and Dubai to deliver corporate travel management, MICE event coordination, and bespoke leisure experiences (cruises, honeymoons, civil marriages) to enterprise clients and individual travellers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meetings & Group Travel Management (SMMP) (THALAMAL), Cruise + Guided Land Tour Packages (THAEAHAJ)

Keywords

• Corporate travel management
• MICE travel services
• Leisure travel agency
• Bespoke honeymoon planning
• Cruise booking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Commissions and Service Fees: Kurban Travel generates revenue through commissions from airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and travel suppliers on booked travel services, along with service fees. The online booking tool (gokurban.com) is marketed as having 'zero service fees,' suggesting revenue is derived from supplier commissions rather than explicit service charges for corporate clients. Individual and bespoke travel bookings generate revenue through markups on curated itineraries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kurban Travel is a licensed, IATA-accredited travel agency established in 1952 that arranges corporate, group, and leisure journeys worldwide. It delivers full-service corporate travel management (with an online booking tool, dedicated account managers, 24/7 support, policy compliance, and duty of care), MICE travel (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions), and bespoke leisure services including cruises, events, honeymoons, and civil marriage ceremonies abroad.

Product overview

Kurban Travel operates as a licensed, IATA-accredited travel agency established in 1952, offering a unified portfolio of travel services. The core platform consists of three integrated service lines: the Online Booking Tool (gokurban.com) providing self-service corporate travel booking with real-time expense management; Corporate Travel delivering full-service travel management with 24/7 support, policy compliance, and duty of care; and MICE Travel handling end-to-end meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions coordination. These are complemented by experiential services including Cruises, Events ticketing and travel, Honeymoon planning, and Civil Marriage arrangements. The company also maintains a Destinations portfolio covering Bali, Mykonos, Paris, Portugal, and Rome, and publishes a travel journal under the Le Carnet sub-brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Booking Tool (GoKurban)
• Corporate Travel Management Full-service travel management for businesses providing advanced reporting, 24/7 customer support, travel policy compliance, duty of care, dedicated account management, expense management, and consultancy services.
• MICE Travel
• Cruises Cruise travel arrangement service covering Mediterranean and international sailings, ship selection consultancy (MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean), cabin and itinerary optimization, and full-service booking through boarding.
• Events Travel Event travel package service securing tickets, flights, and accommodation for concerts, festivals, sporting events, and cultural performances, offering complete journey coordination for individuals and groups.
• Honeymoon Planning Specialized honeymoon planning service featuring personalized trip design based on couple preferences, curated destination collections (Bali, Maldives, Japan, Mediterranean), and standard touches including room upgrades and private transfers.
• Civil Marriage Abroad Destination wedding planning service handling civil marriage ceremonies in Cyprus (Larnaca, Limassol) and Turkey (Istanbul, Antalya, Marmaris), including documentation, ceremony arrangements, and extended honeymoon packages.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MSC CruisescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSC Cruises is highlighted as a key cruise line partner for Mediterranean cruise itineraries. Kurban Travel offers curated MSC cruise bookings including MSC Yacht Club for luxury private voyages with dedicated restaurant, pool, and butler service. The partnership emphasises Italian soul and refined ships for elegant Mediterranean sailing experiences.
• Royal CaribbeancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal Caribbean is positioned as a key cruise partner, particularly for family travellers and those seeking a ship-as-destination experience. The partnership provides access to Royal Caribbean's family-oriented ships and entertainment-focused cruises, complementing Kurban Travel's cruise itinerary design and booking services.
• Preferred Partner AirlinesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKurban Travel has access to 'the best rates of preferred partner airlines' for incentive travel packages, enabling competitive pricing for corporate incentive programmes and staff rewards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Internova Travel Group: US-based travel services company with corporate, luxury leisure, and meeting/event divisions including brands like Protravel International. Comparable to Kurban on the high-touch luxury leisure curation side.
• American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT): Global travel management company serving enterprise and SME corporate clients with reporting, policy compliance, and duty-of-care tooling. Comparable to Kurban's corporate travel offering at far greater scale and technology depth.
• Travel Leaders Group: US travel agency network offering corporate, leisure, and luxury services through a distributed branch model. Comparable to Kurban as a traditional agency model with both corporate and bespoke leisure offerings.
• BCD Travel: Global corporate travel management company with corporate, MICE, and leisure divisions. Comparable in MICE and corporate managed travel offering, but operates globally versus Kurban's Gulf/Levant focus.
• CWT (Carlson Wagonlit Travel): Global corporate travel management company serving multinational enterprises with managed travel programmes, MICE services, and 24/7 support. Comparable to Kurban's corporate/MICE service line in scope, though at substantially larger scale.
• Flight Centre Travel Group: Global travel agency group with corporate (FCM Travel) and leisure brands serving SMEs and consumers. Comparable on the leisure/corporate dual-track model Kurban runs, but at materially larger scale and with proprietary technology.

Others

• Booking.com: Global OTA dominating online travel reservations with broad accommodation, flight, and experience inventory. Adjacent competitor exerting pricing pressure on traditional agencies like Kurban, particularly on leisure inventory and corporate SME bookings.

Direct peers

• dnata Travel: UAE-headquartered travel management division of dnata with corporate, leisure, and MICE offerings across the Middle East. Closely comparable to Kurban's Dubai-based corporate and bespoke travel operations, with overlapping Gulf corporate client base.
• Musafir: UAE-based online and corporate travel agency serving the Gulf with leisure, corporate, and MICE services. Comparable to Kurban in scale, regional Gulf focus, and combined corporate/leisure offering with bespoke services.
• Almosafer: Saudi Arabia-based travel agency and OTA operating corporate, leisure, and MICE services across the Middle East. Directly comparable to Kurban as a regional travel agency with both retail enquiry and online booking channels serving corporate and leisure clients in the Gulf.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KurbanTravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kurban-travel-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Kurban Travel