BUSINESS

PROPOSAL
Travelling team
Thais Abraho | Wagner Portela

A1682920 A1682817
 Travelling

Executive Summary

Tourism is ever increasing industry and has registered a record growth, regardless the
recession around the world. In addition, the relationship between travel and technology
has become intense with the advent of smartphone and tablet. Statistics shows that
travel-related apps rank as the 7th most downloaded type of apps, which confirms that
travelers use digital tools before, during or after travelling. Tourists use several
platforms in order to search information, navigate in maps, follow and share pictures,
analyse costs or find future travelmates. However, the user is in need of a single free
app or website that is able to concentrate features that are individual and isolated in
existing platforms. Furthermore, it is important for the user the possibility of organize,
storage and share all of his travel information and memories in a unique place,
preventing the forgetting and dispersion of experiences lived. Travelling is a free app
and website created to fill this gap and to provide an efficient platform of searching,
storing and sharing.
Travelling has a different and innovative approach of travel social media. The app and
website allow users to create albums of their trips, and populate them with photos,
videos, itineraries, notes, testimonials, tagged costs etc. Each album can be shared with
the social network and other travelers can have access to that, increasing the search
possibilities and information disclosure. It is possible to plan a trip taking into account
what previous tourists have reported in terms of costs, local tips or alerts and
recommendations. In addition, users who is storing information has the security that
everything related to their trip is concentrated in one single place, where they can refer
any time. Another possibility is chat with other users in order to make questions or find
a travelmate for future adventures. Travelling excels in regards its capacity of
concentrating features of storing and sharing information; tag and research tools for
costs; and message box.
The platform business model has key aspects that allow its feasibility. The number of
people involved and the resources needed are little, restricting the operation costs
significantly. To run the platform it is necessary an office, programmers, web designers
and a server. Expenses with employees payment can be replaced or reduced by a
sharing of the company rights and profit. The revenue streams are originate from
advertisement and start up investors.
In order to foster the development of Travelling it is necessary external support and
investments. Human capital from mentors, programmers, marketers and web designers
are essential to ensure the platform creation and its market success. In addition, it is
necessary financial resources to guarantee the office operation, as well as the service
maintenance. Travelling team invites the entrepreneurship community to cooperate to
this project and helps it turns reality.

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Marketing research

The marketing research made in order to support the Business Model of Travelling was
carried out in three stages: tourism and technology, travel apps in the market, travelers
demands.

Mobile app in tourism:

According to The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is one of the largest
and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world. In addition to that, technology and
travel is becoming increasingly close, especially through smartphones and tablets. 85%
of leisure travelers use their smartphone while abroad,15% have downloaded mobile
apps specific to upcoming vacation and 72% post vacation photos on a social network
(UNWTO). Therefore, mobile apps have gained a significant role in the tourism
industry due to their potential to reach new customers and retain old ones.

Travel apps in the market:

A research in the travel app market revealed that there are approximately five free
featured mobile apps that provides in somehow the storing and sharing of experiences
or communication with other travelers. In the table below, an analysis was carried out in
order to identify positive aspects and lacks of each platform.

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Name Positive aspect/ Negative aspects/ Lack

Functionality
Off - Store and - The interface is not
Exploring share.notes, photos, organized in trips
videos and (albums).
messages. - Boring web design.
- Search other travel - Does not have maps .
blogs - Does not have possibility
to tag or search costs.
- Does not have social
media appearance (ie.
Instagram).

Backpackr - Store and share - Does not have access to

posts, photos, maps.
stamps. - Does not have possibility
- Enable search of to tag or search costs.
travelmates. - Does not have tools to
- Enable search shared
communication information of
between travellers. destinations.

Ventoura & - Enable new - Restricted to the

Tripr connections between possibility to connect
travellers. with new people.
- Enable search of - The search tool is for
travelmates. people, instead of
- Similar to Tinder, but information of
for travel purposes. destination.
- Does no work as a
planning tool, in terms of
itinerary, finances and
local tips.

Trail Wallet - Budget organizer - Restricted to financial

aspects.
- It is not a social media
- Does no allow that costs
are associated with
photos/places.
- Does not have search
tool for other peoples
expenditures.

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Travelers demand.
A survey was carried out through online forms shared in social media (Facebook and
WhatsApp), in order to understand what bothers people the time before, during and after
a trip. The total number of participants was 138 and the option with greater adherence
was Search for information/ cost of activities (74%), followed by Stock information
and memories (20%). The participants are from different countries, such as Australia,
China, Brazil, France, Iraqi and Mozambique.

Marketing research conclusion

The marketing research allowed identify the growth perspective of the tourism industry,
as well as the significant role of mobile apps in travel experiences and decisions. In
addition, the travel app market was analyzed and lacks in each of main existing apps
were highlighted. A general gap in the travel apps was notice: none of them presents in
a single platform the main needs of a traveler storing and sharing documents,
searching and planning tools, communication and connection between travelers.
Especially in regards to Search of information and cost of activities, identified as
being the main concern of travelers, the existing apps have a significant needy.
Therefore, it is remarkable the market opportunity for platforms that meet this latent
demand.

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Development process

During the E-Challenger`s first meeting the concept of Travelling did not exist. On that
day was told that to start a new business some need have to be solved and the people
should be passionate for their work to give all they have in order to build a good
company. After the meeting a talk about what kind of business we were looking for
started between the two co-founders, which did not take a long time to come with an
app to backpackers. We are backpackers and we love to travelling and save money, and
we also know some difficulties of that can be faced by backpackers before, during and
after a trip and we wanted to help them.
Defining what Travelling would be like and how it would work was a big first step. On
this stage the idea of a real business started to show up, another person, which has a
good knowledge about business operation joined the group. After a few hours
Travelling had a brainstorm map with some activities that could be used on the app.
Know what backpackers really need was the next step and it was done by doing a
marketing research on Facebook. This step exists because of the ideas presented on the
marketing lecture where was said that know your costumers needs is very important.
After have the results of the research made and another meeting between the members,
Travelling was described according to the business model Canvas, a faster and easier
way to put all the ideas in one single paper to present.
The business model Canvas evaluation had three very different points of view. On the
first opinion a hard critic was made saying that similar apps exist and Travelling was
too big to be built. The second opinion was that the person did not understand the idea,
and the last one said that it was a good idea even existing some apps that looks similar.
By reading the feedbacks the conclusion was that the Travelling Canvas needed to be
improved in order to make the main idea easier to understand.
The feedback also made us call a programmer because we needed to know if we were
really out of our minds about how complex the app would be and if it could be done by
us. He not only said that build an app with our concepts was possible but he also gave
the idea to make a website.
On the final stage a profit and loss template and cash flow template was made. It made
us thing about our expectations for this year and the next, the size of the company,
employees, materials, marketing, Australian fees and taxes and others expenses.

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Business model Canvas

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Forecast Profit/Loss and Cash Flow statements

As been a startup, he Travelling economic plan is based on reducing the costs to

maximize the profit. The company has two co-founders, one person in charge of the
finances and one in charge of the app and website development and maintenance. To
this two persons, which was presented the idea of the app, was offered a percentage of
the company.
The asset needed to start this project are just the personal computers, a domain on the
internet and one server to store all the information with no need of any kind of
employers.
During the expansion an IT support can be hired and some marketing project can be
implemented in order to increase the efficiency and functionality of the app and web site
and the range of advertising.
On the tables on the appendices, are represented the costs of operation and maintenance
of the business. The profit of Travelling is obtain trough advertises online and on the
app, with the companies interested pay before a certain amount and it gives them a
number of clicks on the links. During the first year, an accountant is not needed due to
the size of the company just after a few months payed marketing will be implemented,
however it will work together with the free marketing on social pages and on user to
user.

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