Triponyu.com steps beyond peer-to-peer boundaries

Augustinus (left) partnering with tour operators

Indonesian peer-to-peer marketplace Triponyu.com, which connects savvy independent travellers with local hosts of travel experiences in the country, is now looking to expand its market reach through partnerships with tour operators and participation in travel marts.

Triponyu.com was established by four milliennials from Solo, Central Java in 2016, and officially launched in mid-2017.

Augustinus Adhitya, CEO of Triponyu.com, said a system to incorporate the B2B component is in development and will “launch soon”.

Augustinus (left) tells TTG Asia’s Mimi Hudoyo (centre) about his plans to start partnering with tour operators

He said his business is all about “empowering the local community, which used to be a spectator of the tourism growth around them, to become active players (themselves)”.

“The trips we offer are created by the locals (who) develop interesting and unconventional products,” he added.

Programmes are mostly day tours that run for four to five hours.
Citing examples, Augustinus pointed to a culinary tour in Solo that takes tourists beyond sampling local food, and instead also imparts philosophy behind traditional cuisine, history of the eateries and knowledge of food preparation.

Another example is a batik tour that throws in tips on how to determine the quality of a batik cloth and lessons on batik production.

Experience hosts join Triponyu.com for free and determine the price of their own programmes. To ensure quality of experiences, Triponyu.com verifies and approves content, and also guides local hosts on package creation and pricing.

In return, the company draws seven per cent of sales takings as commission.

Since its launch, Triponyu.co has quickly expanded its product range beyond Solo and Java to include experiences in other parts of Indonesia such as Bali and Lombok. As well, Triponyu.com offers homestays and car rental services too.

Augustinus believes there is good growth potential for experiential tours, as “the trend today is for people to travel individually rather than in groups” as well as a growing desire for adventure and travel flexibility.

“(Independent travellers today don’t want to) come to a destination clutching tickets and accommodation vouchers. They want to look for things to do after they have arrived and they prefer value-for-money products found on the Internet,” he said.

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