Solcaribe

What Solcaribe does

Solcaribe (SOLCARIBE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AGENCY) is a privately held Ecuadorian outbound travel agency founded in April 2007 by Galo Eduardo Paladinez Bustamante. The company operates four physical offices across Quito (Matriz and Sector Portugal), Valle de los Chillos, and Guayaquil, with disclosed expansion plans to Cuenca, Ambato, and Ibarra. It serves Ecuadorian individual travelers, families, couples, solo travelers, school groups, and sports enthusiasts seeking international vacation packages, flights, cruises, and charters.

The company's core product portfolio comprises packaged tours (Paquetes Turísticos) combining flights, hotels, transfers, and excursions; cheap airfare booking (Vuelos Baratos); charter flight services; cruise packages; themed travel verticals (honeymoon, solo, family, sports, Disney, shopping); and seasonal promotions. The underlying platform is a proprietary web-based booking system with SEO optimization, a dedicated flight booking engine (vuelos.solcaribe.com.ec), and integrated payment processing via Place to Pay (PCI DSS compliant). IATA accreditation obtained in February 2020 enables direct ticket issuance with global airline partners including Copa, Avianca, LATAM, and others; hotel partnerships span RIU, Decameron, Barceló, Meliá, and Marriott; cruise partnerships include Royal Caribbean, MSC, Disney, and Norwegian.

Solcaribe's revenue model is transaction-based: it earns commissions and service fees on flight bookings, hotel reservations, cruise packages, and tour package sales. Pricing spans $181 for domestic Ecuador packages to $6,588 for long-haul Europe tours, with financing options and installment payment plans available. Marketing combines SEO-optimized website content, email newsletters, social media, and physical office walk-in traffic. The company has received multiple industry awards since 2010, including dual recognition from Corporación Ekos in 2015.

Name

Solcaribe

Legal name

SOLCARIBE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AGENCY

Website

https://solcaribe.com.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Solcaribe is an Ecuadorian outbound travel agency founded in 2007, operating four offices and serving individual travelers, families, and groups with packaged tours, flights, cruises, and charters to global destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

Keywords

• Travel agency services
• Tour packages
• Flight booking
• Cruise vacations
• Charter flights

Headquarters

HQ city

Quito

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tour Package Sales: Solcaribe earns revenue by packaging flights, hotels, transfers, and tours together, selling these packages to customers at marked-up prices. The company negotiates with airlines and suppliers to create competitive packages.
2. Flight Booking Commissions: As an IATA-accredited agency, Solcaribe earns commissions on airfare bookings through major international airlines including Copa Airlines, Avianca, LATAM, American Airlines, Turkish Airlines, KLM, Iberia, Air Europa, Delta, United, and others.
3. Hotel and Cruise Reservations: Revenue generated through partnerships with hotel chains (RIU, Decameron, Barceló, Meliá, Marriott, etc.) and cruise lines (Disney, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian) with negotiated rates and commissions.
4. Service Fees and Financing: The company offers financing options and charges service fees for payment processing, cancellations, and specialized services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Solcaribe is a full-service travel agency that retails airline tickets, tour packages, charter flights, and cruise vacations to individual and group travelers in Ecuador. It also sells destination add-ons (such as travel insurance, transfers, and excursions) and offers installment-based financing on purchases made through its online platform.

Product overview

Solcaribe is a full-service travel agency operating as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected travel booking services. Its core product portfolio includes Tour Packages (Paquetes Turísticos), Cheap Flights (Vuelos Baratos), Charter Flights, Cruises, and Promotional Seasonal Deals — all accessible through its web platform. The offering is complemented by specialized themed travel categories (solo, honeymoon, family, shopping, sports, school groups, Disney), an online flight booking engine, and payment financing options. The platform integrates with Place to Pay for online payment processing. Solcaribe serves as an intermediary between travelers and third-party service providers (airlines, hotels, cruise lines, tour operators), organizing and packaging travel services rather than operating as a direct carrier or hotelier.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paquetes Turísticos (Tour Packages) Pre-built multi-day leisure packages bundling flights, lodging, transfers, and excursions, sold to individual and family travelers in Ecuador.
• Boletos Aéreos (Airline Tickets) Retail issuance of domestic and international airline tickets under IATA accreditation, available through offices, the website, and by phone/WhatsApp.
• Charters Charter flight capacity for groups (sports teams, schools, corporate groups) seeking dedicated aircraft for specific routes and dates.
• Cruceros (Cruises) Cruise itineraries and cabin bookings marketed to individual and family leisure travelers in Ecuador.
• Promociones (Promotional Packages) Discounted tour packages and last-minute deals featured through Solcaribe's website, newsletter, and social media channels.
• Financiamiento en Cuotas (Installment Financing) Installment-based payment option (e.g., up to 12 monthly installments) available for online purchases, processed through the Place to Pay payment gateway.

Quantifiable outcome

• IATA accreditation since 2020 provides international standard compliance for air ticketing
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IATA (International Air Transport Association)coreTechnology or IntegrationAccredited since February 5, 2020. IATA accreditation ensures access to global airline booking systems, provides credibility assurance to customers, and enables issuance of airline tickets with standardized industry protocols.
• Place to PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing platform used for online transactions. Supports credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Diners) and bank payments. Complies with PCI DSS standards for secure transactions.
• Copa AirlinescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor regional airline partner offering direct flights. Featured airline in many package tours including Panama, Punta Cana, and Latin America destinations.
• AviancacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner airline featured in packages to San Andrés, Colombia, Los Angeles, and other destinations.
• LATAM EcuadorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional partner airline featured in Galápagos tours and South American destinations.
• RIU Hotels & ResortscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor hotel chain partner featured extensively in Caribbean and Mexico packages including RIU Palace properties in Punta Cana, Aruba, Cancún, and Riviera Maya.
• Decameron Hoteles & ResortscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured hotel partner in Colombia packages (Santa Marta, Panama) and Caribbean destinations.
• Royal CaribbeancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor cruise line partner featured in cruise packages departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Caribbean ports.
• MSC CruceroscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured cruise partner offering Mediterranean, Caribbean, and South American cruise itineraries.
• Disney Cruise LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily cruise partner featured in packages to Port Canaveral and Florida departures.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CVC Corp: Latin America's largest traditional travel operator, headquartered in Brazil, operating through multiple brands including Almundo. Comparable as a scaled regional travel agency consolidator, though focused primarily on Brazilian and Argentine markets rather than Ecuador.
• Despegar: Latin America's largest online travel agency, publicly traded (NYSE: DESP), operating across multiple countries including Ecuador. Directly comparable as a full-service OTA selling flights, hotels, packages, and cruises, but at much larger scale and with technology-first distribution.
• Booking.com: Global online travel agency owned by Booking Holdings, dominant in hotel bookings worldwide including Ecuador. Comparable as a competitor for accommodation and package bookings, though primarily focused on lodging rather than full-service packaged tours with flights.
• Expedia: Global online travel platform offering flights, hotels, packages, cruises, and activities. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the online travel space competing for Ecuadorian outbound travelers, though without the local physical-advisory presence that Solcaribe offers.
• Trip.com: Global OTA owned by Trip.com Group, offering flights, hotels, packages, and train services. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for international travel bookings, with particular strength in Asia-Pacific but growing Latin American presence.

Regional players

• Best Day Travel: Mexican online travel agency serving Mexican outbound travelers with similar product mix (flights, packages, hotels, cruises). Comparable business model targeting outbound leisure travelers in a neighboring Latin American market, though not directly competing in Ecuador.

Direct peers

• Viajes Falabella: Travel agency operated by retail conglomerate Falabella, operating in Ecuador and other Latin American countries. Comparable as a multi-channel travel seller offering flights, packages, and hotels, leveraging both physical points of sale and online booking, similar to Solcaribe's omnichannel model.
• Almundo: Latin American travel agency (owned by CVC Corp Brasil) operating across multiple countries including Ecuador. Offers flights, hotels, packages, and cruises via omnichannel distribution, directly competing with Solcaribe for Ecuadorian outbound travelers.

Emerging players

• Waha Travel: Emerging online travel platform targeting Latin American outbound travelers with flight and package offerings. Comparable as a digital-first travel intermediary competing for the same Ecuadorian leisure traveler customer base, though at earlier stage and with less physical distribution.
• Atrápalo: Online travel agency headquartered in Spain with Latin American operations, selling flights, hotels, and activity packages. Comparable as an OTA competitor in Latin America with overlapping product offerings, though with stronger technology-first positioning and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solcaribe
• Facebookfacebook.com/Solcaribe.Viajes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solcaribe-viajes

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 Solcaribe