Traveloka reportedly in talks to raise US$400m to push expansion

Jakarta-based online travel startup, Traveloka, is in the talks to raise approximately US$400 million, Bloomberg reported. The amount is said to be raised from both new and existing investors, and will be used to accelerate its expansion plans. According to Bloomberg's sources, the expansion plans include beyond traditional airline tickets and hotel bookings into activities for travellers such as concerts or amusement parks.Marketing Interactive has reached out to Traveloka for comment.Last year, the travel startup received US$350 million investment from Expedia. This was in a bid to deepen cooperation on global hotel supply. At the time, Ferry Unardi, co-founder and CEO, Traveloka, explained that the expanded partnership will also give Traveloka travellers access to a “unique and diverse set of international accommodations”. It will also work with Expedia to expand its services in Asia and more.Apart from its expansion plans, Traveloka launched its first campaign in line with the Vietnamese Lunar New Year titled “Tết”, in collaboration with Y&R Indochina in March. Since its launch, the ad garnered more than six million views on YouTube and Facebook at the time of writing. This helped the brand increase awareness among target audiences by 8%, ad recall by 5%, and more than doubled its daily traffic to the Traveloka website.