Web Reservations International secures 3 year contract for flagship brand Hostelworld.com on Brazil trade mission

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Enterprise Ireland leads 34 companies on trade mission to Brazil

Web Reservations International (WRI), global market leader in online reservations for the budget, independent and youth travel ('BIYT') accommodation sector announced its flagship brand Hostelworld.com has signed a 3 year contract with Despegar.com, one of the biggest online travel agencies in Latin America and a key player in the Brazilian Tourism Market through its Decolar.com website. The announcement was made during this week's Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Brazil, aimed at helping Irish companies win new business and increase export sales in this vast market.

The partnership with Hostelworld.com not only offers significant commercial benefits for both companies but will importantly benefit the millions of users of Despegar.com and Decolar.com by giving them access to a wide range of options when booking budget accommodation.The Despegar.com partnership comes at an optimal time with WRI growing its business internationally with a key focus on Latin America. An essential element of this growth is the development of relationships with key partners in Brazil and throughout Latin America.

Hostelworld.com has experienced growth in the region of 30% in bookings into Latin America alone this year and has seized the opportunity to build on significant consumer demand by creating an operation in Latin America alongside the imminent launch of its Brazilian Portuguese website. Hostelworld.com is one of the first websites that will cater specifically to Brazilians looking to book the widest range of hostels, pousadas and other independently owned accommodation online for their travels within Brazil, Latin America and further afield.

Feargal Mooney CEO of WRI said "WRI has made significant steps to grow the business internationally and I'm delighted with the progress we have made in Latin America with the announcement of our partnership with Despegar.com. We are thrilled to collaborate with such a key player as it offers us the opportunity to gain a strong foothold in South America and raise brand awareness for www.hostelworld.com, the World's Number 1 hostel booking website."

He continued "Our strategy is to aggressively grow the Latin American market through a number of key initiatives including the expansion of our property base, the enhancement of our unique content and further fostering and development of relationships with key Brazilian partners. Our 3rd Latin America Hostel Conference, which recently hosted over 250 delegates from across the region emphasizes the strength of our current presence which we hope to build upon considerably. Brazil offers us some very exciting opportunities to further grow our business over the coming years with the upcoming 2014 World Cup and the Olympic Games in 2016".

Kevin Sherry, Enterprise Ireland's head of International Sales and Partnering said: "Brazil is a key growth market for Irish firms and we greatly welcome this announcement by WRI. Contracts such as this are hard won in highly competitive markets, and they demonstrate the world-class standard of Irish products and services. WRI is a prime example of what Irish companies can achieve globally through market-ed innovation".

About Web Reservations International (WRI)

WRI provides technology, distribution and marketing solutions to accommodation and other travel suppliers worldwide through a network of owned sites and affiliate partners. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, WRI was founded in 1999 and has representative offices in Shanghai and Sydney. WRI has developed award winning websites including hostelworld.com, hostels.com, bedandbreakfastworld.com and trav.com, and has successful affiliate relationships with many of the world’s leading brands. The WRI business model is simple and fully automated where travellers pay a modest non refundable deposit when they book accommodation on line which is retained by WRI. The balance is paid by customers directly to the accommodation provider at check-in. Hostels and other accommodation providers rely on WRI’s advanced technology platform to allocate inventory, manage pricing and receive bookings within a fully automated process.

News Source : Web Reservations International secures 3 year contract for flagship brand Hostelworld.com on Brazil trade mission