Gareth Williams, CEO and co-founder, Skyscanner
TRAVEL search engine Skyscanner has delivered its seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth, largely on the back of mobile expansion and diversification beyond flight bookings.
The company saw its revenue grow 28 per cent to US$183 million in 2015, with bookings through its platforms grossing US$11.2 billion, up 49 per cent compared to 2014.
There was a 48 per cent increase in visitorship, driven mostly by a 67 per cent increase in visitors from China. Other regions that showed significant growth were Asia-Pacific (48 per cent), the Americas (55 per cent) and Europe (42 per cent).
“2015 was another strong year for Skyscanner, showing solid progress in our strategy of expansion beyond our home market, into mobile and beyond flights,” said Gareth Williams, Skyscanner’s CEO and co-founder.
“We saw excellent growth in travellers planning their trips on Skyscanner all around the world, especially on mobile and in the important regions of Asia-Pacific and the Americas.”
Mobile visitors from China and the Americas nearly doubled, while numbers in Asia-Pacific and Europe increased 62 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. Consequently, mobile web bookings grew 24 per cent year-on-year, making up 42 per cent of all conversions.
As well, revenue from Skyscanner’s non-air B2B arm, Skyscanner for Business, doubled. Contributing to this growth is a newly-launched car hire white label product, which grew by 71 per cent in 2015.
