Samana

What Samana does

Samana Travel is a Lebanon-based, founder-owned travel and tourism agency founded in April 2012 by Jamil Jamil Bayram, operating from two physical offices in Beirut (Clemenceau) and Sibline (Chouf) with 24/7 phone support. Its core offering is full-service corporate and leisure travel management: airline ticketing, hotel accommodations, sightseeing tours, ground transportation, and visa processing for destinations including France, Dubai, Cyprus, Egypt, Cuba, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, China, Poland, and Italy.

The business model is transaction-fee driven across four revenue streams: airline ticket commissions (LOT Polish, Turkish, SriLankan, Emirates, Delta), visa processing service fees, General Sales Agent (GSA) commissions earned through exclusive airline distribution rights (LOT Polish Airlines directly, and SriLankan Airlines via its wholly-owned subsidiary Samana Holidays), and packaged tour revenue (notably educational trips for Lebanese schools). Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales, two retail offices, an online inquiry system, and channel partnerships with travel agencies. Notable commercial credentials include Delta Air Lines 'Award for Excellence 2017,' consecutive Emirates Appreciation Certificates (2016-17 and 2017-18), IATA membership, and Saudi Embassy certification for KSA visa processing.

The customer base spans 45+ named accounts across Lebanese government (Internal Security Forces, State Security, Lebanese Army), banking (Bank Audi, Bankmed, KPMG, Deloitte), holding groups (BCI, Azadea, Zinadi), healthcare (AUBMC, Mouwasat), education (AUB and multiple K-12 schools), and humanitarian organizations (UNHCR). The firm is privately held, has no disclosed external funding, no proprietary technology stack, no mobile app, and no AI/ML capabilities documented in available sources.

Name

Samana

Legal name

Samana Travel

Website

https://samana-travel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Samana Travel is a Lebanon-based, founder-owned full-service travel agency offering corporate and leisure ticketing, GSA airline distribution, and multi-country visa processing for government, banking, education, and enterprise clients since 2012.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAKAMAK

VIP, Executive & Roadshow Travel Services

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Corporate Travel Management Services

SECONDARYTHAKALAG

Airline GSA / Representation & Ticket Sales Offices

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Air Ticketing Agencies & IATA Agents

Keywords

• Travel agency services
• Corporate travel management
• Visa processing services
• Educational school trips
• Airline ticket distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Airline Ticket Sales: Commission revenue from selling airline tickets for LOT Polish Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Sirilankan Airlines, Emirates, and Delta Air Lines through GSA agreements and agency relationships.
2. Visa Processing Services: Service fees for visa application handling, processing, and submission for various countries including France, Dubai, Cyprus, Egypt, Cuba, Ghana, and Saudi Arabia.
3. GSA Commissions: Revenue from General Sales Agent agreements with airlines (LOT Polish Airlines, Sirilankan Airlines) providing sales and marketing support in Lebanon.
4. Tour Packages and Services: Revenue from organizing and selling complete travel packages including airline tickets, accommodation, sightseeing tours, visa processing, and tour guides for schools and groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Samana Travel is a full-service travel and tourism agency headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, providing airline ticketing, hotel accommodations, sightseeing tours, customized travel packages, and multi-country visa processing for corporate clients, schools, government institutions, and individual travelers. The company holds General Sales Agent (GSA) appointments for LOT Polish Airlines and Sirilankan Airlines and is a certified office for KSA Embassy visa processing.

Product overview

Samana operates as a travel and tourism agency with a platform of interconnected services. The core offering is full-service travel agency capabilities (airline tickets, hotels, tours, visa processing). Supporting modules include a dedicated Visa Department for multi-country visa processing, Schools Programs for educational travel, airline General Sales Agent relationships (LOT Polish Airlines, SriLankan Airlines via Samana Holidays), and certified KSA Embassy visa services. The portfolio serves both retail customers and corporate clients seeking comprehensive travel solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Samana Travel (Core Travel Agency Services) Full-service travel agency offering airline tickets, hotel accommodations, sightseeing tours, customized travel packages, and transportation for corporate clients, government institutions, schools, and individual travelers across Lebanon and international destinations.
• Visa Processing Department

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple airline excellence awards received (Delta Air Lines Award For Excellence 2017, Emirates Appreciation Certificates 2016-17 and 2017-18)

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LOT Polish AirlinescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 January 2019Samana Travel appointed as General Sales Agent (GSA) of LOT Polish Airlines in Lebanon effective January 29, 2019. LOT operates direct flights from Beirut to Warsaw and onwards to Europe, USA, and Canada on Dreamliner fleet. Samana provides complete sales and marketing assistance to travel agencies, corporate, and retail clients 24/7.
• Turkish AirlinesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 July 2018Cooperation with Turkish Airlines offering special rates for Sailors on all One Way tickets from/to all over the world.
• CHANGE LogisticsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2018Business Gateway to China partnership with CHANGE Logistics (Guangzhou and Yiwu). Collaboration covers business bookings, merchandise delivery, and comprehensive China business travel services.
• Sirilankan AirlinescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2017Samana Holidays (part of Samana Travel Group) appointed as Passenger General Sales Agent (GSA) for Sirilankan Airlines in Lebanon. Provides all kind of assistance to clients traveling to Sri Lanka.
• French ConsulatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2016Partnership for simplified Schengen visa application procedures through Samana Travel. Enables customers to apply for French visas through simplified procedures.
• SGBL BankminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2014Joint launch of 'Just Married Account' product and campaign. Collaborative banking and travel package offering for newly married couples.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TUI Group: Global tourism conglomerate with tour operator, airline, and hotel businesses. Comparable in operating tour packages and airline distribution to international destinations, though at vastly greater scale.
• American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT): One of the world's largest corporate travel management companies serving multinational clients. Comparable as a corporate TMC that could displace local agencies like Samana when serving multinational accounts operating in Lebanon.
• BCD Travel: Global corporate travel management company serving large enterprise and government accounts. Comparable in targeting the same enterprise/government travel management segment that Samana serves in Lebanon.
• Corporate Travel Management (CTM): Global TMC with strong presence in corporate and government travel. Comparable as an enterprise travel management competitor that increasingly serves MENA-region multinational accounts.
• FCM Travel Solutions (Flight Centre Travel Group): Global corporate travel division of Flight Centre serving enterprise accounts across 90+ countries. Comparable in serving multinational corporate clients that may also operate in Lebanon.
• Der Touristik (DER Touristik Group): European tour operator and travel services group with broad packaged travel and corporate offerings. Comparable as a tour operator serving European destinations like those sold in Samana's school and leisure packages.

Regional players

• Al Mashaer Travel: Saudi Arabia-headquartered travel agency focused on Hajj, Umrah, and KSA visa services. Comparable to Samana's KSA Embassy certification and Saudi-bound travel segment, though operating from the destination market.

Direct peers

• Kurban Travel: Long-established Lebanese travel agency offering corporate, leisure, and group travel services with IATA accreditation. Direct competitor for Samana's Beirut-based corporate and government client base.
• Nakhal & Partners Travel: Lebanon-based corporate and leisure travel agency with IATA accreditation and corporate travel management. Direct peer sharing the same Beirut market, enterprise client base, and reliance on airline partnerships.

Others

• VFS Global: World's largest visa services and processing company. Comparable as a visa processing service provider operating globally; represents both a potential partner and competitor to Samana's in-house visa department.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/travelsamana
• Instagraminstagram.com/travelsamana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samana-travel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Samana