Jumia Travel Nigeria celebrated three years of deepening online travel business in the country at an event held recently in Lagos.
Explaining the rationale for the awards, Kushal Dutta, managing director Jumia Travel Nigeria said, “These hotel awards celebrate greatest achievements and relationships that not only set the awardees apart, but also strive to create better service and experience for the guests. The objective is to appreciate outstanding performers while creating a dynamic platform for players to meet and interact.”
Speaking on the performance of the company in the last 11 months, Dutta stated that investment in world-class technology that has improved customers’ experience on the company’s portal has been one of the greatest achievements recorded so far. He made reference to the Web Progressive App (WPA) technology developed by the company, which makes customers spend less time searching their hotels of choice.
Google showcased the technology, according to him, at the Web Development event recently.
“Our monthly traffic grew from 93,000 to 650,000 making Jumia Travel the largest online travel agency in the country,” he added.
In the last three years, Jumia Travel has provided an online platform for local hotels, ensuring that both small boutique properties as well as privately owned residences can now enjoy fair display and online presence as with global chains and renowned brands.
Paving and supporting the digitization process of hotels and the adoption of eCommerce has also been at the forefront of objectives set by the company, with 50% of its hotel partners making their online debut via the platform.
Among innovative solutions launched by Jumia Travel include WEX virtual payment (a solution which allows hotels to easily receive payment from guests), various mobile-based payments, progressive web extranet, Live Chat, local languages and around-the-clock customer service.
This year marked the third anniversary of Jumia Travel, and the second edition of the company sponsored awards. The event also marks the launch of the ongoing legendary Black Friday sale, which as Kushal explained comes early this year, to ensure travelers are able to make their holiday bookings without the last minute rush.
