Issta Sport
Issta is a publicly listed Israeli online travel agency founded in 1956, serving Israeli consumers and families with vacation packages, flights, hotels, cruises, sports event packages, and organized tours via its e-commerce platform, branch network, and the Daniel AI WhatsApp-based travel agent.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1956
- HeadquartersTel Aviv, Israel
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Issta Sport does
Issta is a publicly listed Israeli online travel agency (TLV:ISTA) founded in 1956 and headquartered in Israel, serving Israeli individual travelers and families with a comprehensive portfolio of vacation packages, flights, hotels, cruises, sports event packages, ski packages, organized tours, and ancillary services such as eSIM, travel insurance, and car rentals. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (issta.co.il) supported by a national branch office network and travel-agent support, and runs differentiated sub-brands including ISSTA Collection (premium hotel partnerships), ISSTA Care (cancellation insurance), Issta Sport (Champions League, Premier League, and concert event packages), and a gift card program, with notable specialization in kosher-friendly travel and Jewish-holiday packages for the Israeli market.
The platform's core technology is a packaged-travel booking engine with a dynamic package search, multi-airline aggregation across Israeli carriers (El Al, Israir, Arkia, Sundor) and major international carriers, and hotel inventory covering 50+ destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In 2026 Issta launched Daniel AI, an AI-powered personalized travel agent delivered via WhatsApp for conversational booking and recommendations. The platform also operates a $35M, 10-year block-seat financing agreement with Israir Airlines (announced January 2026) covering two Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, securing long-haul capacity into New York and Asia-Pacific destinations.
Issta generates revenue on a transaction-fee basis, taking commissions and spreads across vacation packages, flight bookings, hotel reservations, cruise packages, sports and event travel, and ancillary services. Pricing is pay-as-you-go and per-booking, with economy packages starting from approximately $242 per person and luxury cruise packages above $3,500. The company serves both retail consumers through self-service web booking and assisted sales through physical branches and travel agents, with no disclosed enterprise or B2B customer concentration.
Issta Sport firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Issta Sport
- Legal name
- Issta Israel Ltd. (איסתא ישראל בע"מ)
- Website
- https://issta.co.il
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1956
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Issta is a publicly listed Israeli online travel agency founded in 1956, serving Israeli consumers and families with vacation packages, flights, hotels, cruises, sports event packages, and organized tours via its e-commerce platform, branch network, and the Daniel AI WhatsApp-based travel agent.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Issta Sport industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Agency
- NAICS
- Spectator Sports (71121)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Events & Match Tickets (THAJAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sports Team, Tournament & Training Travel (THAKAGAI)
Keywords
Where Issta Sport is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tel Aviv
- HQ country
- Israel
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
Issta Sport business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Vacation Packages: Bundled flight + hotel packages sold to individual travelers and families at competitive prices
- Flight Bookings: Commission from airline ticket sales including Israeli carriers (Israir, El Al, Arkia) and international airlines
- Hotel Bookings: Commission from hotel reservations worldwide
- Cruise Packages: Cruise vacation packages including Royal Caribbean, MSC, Norwegian and other cruise lines
- Sports and Event Travel: Specialized packages for sports events, concerts and performances including Champions League, concerts, and music events
- Block-Seat Financing Agreement: Block-seat deal with Israir airline valued at approximately $35 million in advanced payment over a 10-year period for aircraft financing
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Economy vacation packages starting from $242 per person |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Last-minute deals with discounted pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Issta Sport product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Issta Sport is the sports and events travel division of Issta, an Israeli online travel agency. It sells bundled travel packages that combine flights, hotels, and tickets to sporting events (Champions League, Premier League, Spanish League) and concerts/performances abroad, targeting Israeli sports fans and event-goers. It operates as part of Issta's broader travel platform covering vacation packages, flights, hotels, cruises, and organized tours.
Product overview
Issta is a comprehensive online travel agency platform offering a unified travel booking ecosystem. The core offerings include vacation packages (flight + hotel bundles), standalone flight bookings, and hotel reservations. The platform differentiates through exclusive sub-brands like ISSTA Collection (premium hotel partnerships), ISSTA Care (cancellation insurance), and specialized offerings including Sports Packages, Concert Packages, Cruise Packages, Ski Packages, Organized Tours, and Kosher Vacations. A key innovation is Daniel AI, an AI-powered WhatsApp-based personalized travel agent. The platform also provides ancillary services including eSIM cards, travel insurance, and car rentals. The architecture functions as a single unified platform with multiple product categories accessible through a web portal and mobile-optimized interface, rather than a modular platform structure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ISSTA Collection: Exclusive hotel collection featuring premium properties, including Leonardo brand hotels and kosher hotels in Cyprus.
- ISSTA CARE
- Issta Sport
- Issta Gift Card
Products and services
- Sports Packages (חבילות ספורט) Travel packages bundled with tickets to football matches and other sporting events abroad, combining flights, hotels, and event tickets for Israeli sports fans.
- Concert & Event Packages (חבילות הופעות) Travel packages bundled with tickets to concerts and live entertainment events abroad for Israeli consumers.
- Vacation Packages (חבילות נופש) Flight + hotel package deals to international destinations, including transfers from airport to hotel and back.
- Flights (טיסות) Flight booking service offering tickets from multiple airlines including Israeli carriers (Israir, El Al, Arkia) and international airlines.
- Hotels (מלונות) Hotel booking service for international destinations and domestic Israel hotels.
- Cruise Packages (חבילות קרוז) Cruise and sailing vacation packages including Mediterranean, Norway, Caribbean, Asia, and other cruise routes.
- Ski Packages (חבילות סקי) Ski vacation packages including destinations in Bulgaria, Andorra, and Club Med ski resorts.
- Organized Tours (טיולים מאורגנים) Organized group tours including family tours, kosher tours, bar/bat mitzvah tours, Far East tours, and European regional tours.
- Vacation Resorts (כפרי נופש) Vacation resort village packages including Center Parcs, Black Forest, Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, and other European destinations.
- Last Minute Deals (דילים ברגע האחרון) Spontaneous last-minute vacation deals and flash sales for immediate travel, with discounted pricing.
- Kosher Vacations (חופשות כשרות) Kosher vacation packages including kosher hotels and all-inclusive kosher resorts in Cyprus and other destinations.
- ISSTA Collection Exclusive hotel deals and packages curated by Issta, featuring premium partner properties.
- ISSTA Care Cancellation insurance service allowing cancellation for any reason, providing peace of mind for travelers.
- Car Rental (השכרת רכב) Car rental services in international destinations including Italy, Germany, USA, Greece, Netherlands, and France.
- Travel Insurance (ביטוח נסיעות) Travel insurance services for international trips.
- Daniel AI - Personalized Travel Agent AI-powered personalized travel agent service accessible via WhatsApp, providing tailored vacation recommendations and booking assistance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Competitive pricing through volume purchasing power and block-seat financing agreements
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Issta Sport
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Issta Sport technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
Issta Sport partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Issta Sport competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sportsbreaks.com: UK-based sports travel package specialist offering Champions League, Premier League, and other football event packages bundled with flights, hotels, and match tickets — directly analogous to Issta Sport's core offering for Israeli fans.
- eDreams ODIGEO: European OTA with strong presence in Southern/Eastern Europe serving package, flight, and hotel bookings; comparable mid-sized OTA competing for the same value-conscious leisure traveler.
- Thomas Cook Sport: Sports travel vertical of a major UK tour operator selling event-anchored packages (football, rugby, motorsport) to UK consumers — same bundled travel + ticket model and customer psychology as Issta Sport.
- Lastminute.com: European OTA focused on last-minute vacation packages, flights, and experiences — overlapping business model (commission-based package OTA) and overlapping event/experience merchandising.
- Klook: Asia-leading experiences and travel activities platform with growing event-ticketing and packaged-tour capabilities; comparable as a digitally native OTA with consumer-facing booking flows and curated inventory.
Broad incumbents
- Viagogo: Global secondary ticketing marketplace for sports and live events; comparable in addressing the demand for premium sports event tickets but operates in resale rather than packaged travel.
- Booking.com: Largest global OTA with massive Israeli localization; competes head-on with Issta's hotel and package bookings and benefits from superior scale economics on customer acquisition and inventory.
- TUI Group: Europe's largest integrated travel and tourism group operating package holidays, cruises, and resort concepts; comparable as a vertically integrated mass-market package tour operator, though at vastly larger scale.
- Expedia Group: Global OTA group (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo) with deep Israeli traffic and bundled package offerings; primary structural competitor for Issta's flight + hotel booking flow.
- Eventim: Europe's largest ticketing platform covering concerts, sports, and live entertainment; overlaps with Issta Sport on the concert and sports event ticketing component, though Eventim is not a travel package assembler.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Issta Sport social profiles
Digital presenceIssta Sport financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Issta Sport leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Issta Sport funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Issta Sport M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Issta Sport
What does Issta Sport do?
Issta Sport is the sports and events travel division of Issta, an Israeli online travel agency. It sells bundled travel packages that combine flights, hotels, and tickets to sporting events (Champions League, Premier League, Spanish League) and concerts/performances abroad, targeting Israeli sports fans and event-goers. It operates as part of Issta's broader travel platform covering vacation packages, flights, hotels, cruises, and organized tours.
Is Issta Sport a public or private company?
Issta Sport is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Issta Sport founded?
Issta Sport was founded in 1956. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Issta Sport based?
Issta Sport is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, in the Middle East region.
How does Issta Sport make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Vacation Packages are the primary driver. The others are flight Bookings, hotel Bookings, cruise Packages, sports and Event Travel and block-Seat Financing Agreement.
Who are Issta Sport's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sportsbreaks.com, eDreams ODIGEO, Thomas Cook Sport, Lastminute.com and Klook. Broad incumbents are Viagogo, Booking.com, TUI Group, Expedia Group and Eventim.
Does Issta Sport have an API?
No public API is recorded for Issta Sport.
What industry is Issta Sport in?
Issta Sport's product category is Online Travel Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAFAE, Sports Events & Match Tickets, with a secondary code of THAKAGAI, Sports Team, Tournament & Training Travel. Its NAICS code is 71121 and its SIC code is 7900.