Travel Counsellors has acquired Planisto travel technology platform and its key development team of three people for an undisclosed sum.
The deal marks Travel Counsellors’ second acquisition in its near-30-year history, following the successful acquisition of Holidaysplease in March 2023.
It said the move cements the homeworking agency’s “focus and investment in the premium travel market”, after record trading with annual bookings reaching £933 million, representing a 23% increase from the previous year.
Planisto enables agents to create and manage complex personalised itineraries for their customers, complementing Travel Counsellors’ existing digital assets.
The deal follows the announcement at Travel Counsellors’ annual conference in November, during which the homeworking agency revealed a £15 million investment in technology for 2024.
Planisto’s software will be integrated into Travel Counsellors’ Phenix platform to build on these plans.
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Many travel counsellors based in the Netherlands and Belgium have already used the Planisto software, “affirming its proven success and strong position to support the wider global community”, said Travel Counsellors in a statement.
In addition to acquiring Planisto’s platform and intellectual property, the deal includes the integration of three Benelux-based creators from Planisto into Travel Counsellors.
“They will bring their shared entrepreneurial skills and values to enhance the company’s senior technology talent with a focus on driving future booking journey and platform development,” added the statement.
Steve Byrne (pictured), chief executive of Travel Counsellors, said: “We are delighted to have acquired such a highly regarded and award-winning technology platform in Planisto – which has been on our radar for some time – as well as the hugely talented development team behind its success.
“This acquisition perfectly aligns with our vision and passion of building a community of the very best travel entrepreneurs who provide the human touch empowered by state-of-the-art technology to deliver exceptional, bespoke and highly personalised travel experiences for customers.
“In addition to strengthening our proprietary tech and talent, the deal will further accelerate our current development roadmap for our digital, personal platform Phenix and enhance the end-customer booking experience.
“The acquisition supports our growth strategy as we accelerate towards being a £1bn+ transaction value platform in the very near future.”