Arabic online travel site Batuta has secured a $2.5 million Series A investment round led by Siraj Palestine Fund I Founded in December 2012 by Amir Ounallah and Kamil Silbaq, Batuta has quickly become a popular source for travel information in Arabic, attracting more than 1.5 million unique users monthly and over 2.5 million followers […]
Arabic online travel site Batuta has secured a $2.5 million Series A investment round led by Siraj Palestine Fund I
Founded in December 2012 by Amir Ounallah and Kamil Silbaq, Batuta has quickly become a popular source for travel information in Arabic, attracting more than 1.5 million unique users monthly and over 2.5 million followers on social networks.
Batuta will use the additional funds to continue investing in the growth of its core business, as well as developing a new booking platform.
“The Internet is transforming the way people search and book travel in the Middle East. Our goal is to become the major player in the ME online travel market,” said Amir Ounallah, Co-Founder and CEO of Batuta. “More than 16 million people used Batuta in the last year to find trusted advice for planning their trips.”
Batuta has the most comprehensive Arabic travel content covering more than 250 destinations from across the Middle East and beyond.
“We are launching an enhanced platform that will offer seamless booking capability for hotels, cheap flights, and packages in addition to the price comparison service offered today on Batuta,” said Amir.
“The annual expenditure on travel in the Middle East has been growing over the past decade. Batuta is designing an intuitive product that makes travel search enjoyable and enriching, while enabling a simple and easy booking process,” said Jafar Abu-Libdeh, Investment Manager at Siraj. “Batuta provides its travelers with easy access to comprehensive travel information and enables them to make the necessary reservations and arrangements for their vacation. We are confident that our investment will enable Batuta to continue to innovate and extend its leadership position as the platform of choice for online travelers in the Middle East.”
