In an effort to expand its presence in South East Asia, Singapore-based tours and activities service provider BeMyGuest has acquired Indiescapes.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
This acquisition brings product (local experiences) from Indiescapes across South East Asia into the BeMyGuest system.
BeMyGuest is still in the midst of integrating all of Indiescapes' content as it has to re-contract some suppliers.
Currently, BeMyGuest claims to have 1,500 activities listed on site, and thousands more are yet to be uploaded to the site.
Founded in March 2013, the Singapore-based company Indiescapes (TLabs here) was founded by Min Seetoh and Heidi Shum. It also raised $20,000 funding through the ACE Start-ups Grant in Singapore.
BeMyGuest tells Tnooz that its discussing the possibility of one of the Indiescapes founders joining the team. Currently, the Indiescapes site redirects to BeMyGuest.
When asked about future acquisition possibilities, BeMyGuest says:
"Possibly, but just for Asian content."
In the next 12 months, the company wants to cement its self-proclaimed "market leader" position as the leading provider of tours and activities in Asia. It is also noticing a consolidation trend emerging among the local experience service providers.
In October 2013, BeMyGuest raised $400,000 angel fund to boost its marketing, improve technology and to acquire content.
Also, in December 2013, South Korea’s third largest OTA Tidesquare made a strategic investment in BeMyGuest in an effort to expand into South East Asia. BeMyGuest indicated that it will use this investment to acquire companies.
BeMyGuest says the tours and activities sector (valued at $100 billion per year globally, according to PhoCusWright) is noticeably absent from the content currently offered by leading OTAs and GDSs.
The company claims it fills this gap by providing travellers with unique destination experiences and also providing local businesses with free technology that allows them to digitalise their products and grow their businesses online.
BeMyGuest's focus markets are South East Asian, North Asia and LATAM. Founded in October 2012, BeMyGuest has generated bookings for customers worth $400,000, and it currently partners with more than 250 suppliers, SMEs and individual operators.
Competitors of BeMyGuest in Asia includes WithLocals (TLabs here), myRealTrip (TLabs here), Voyagin, and Triip.me (TLabs here).