Increasing disposable income and a conducive technology ecosystem have created the perfect backdrop for tourism tech startups in Southeast Asia to thrive. The region is home to an increasingly affluent young population that aspires to a better lifestyle and is once again a popular vacation spot for travellers worldwide.

Many believe ASEAN is at the beginning of a decade of high-value technology creation, similar to that experienced by China, Japan, and South Korea in recent years. More than 600 companies have received early-stage growth funding ranging from USD 1 million to 20 million, and startups in tourism tech in Southeast Asia look set to benefit from being a part of this wave.  

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Five Southeast Asian startups have managed to distinguish themselves in the travel tech space, and it will be interesting to see how things play out for them as they try to grow and flourish. 

Be Group

Vietnam’s ride-hailing and delivery market has been growing at a fast clip. The current largest player in the market is Singapore-based Grab; however, Be Group has emerged as major competition. The company is making inroads into the market and plans to deliver 1 billion rides per year by 2026, up from the 120 million rides it delivered in 2023. 

To pursue its expansion goals, the company announced that it was set to raise USD 30 million from local venture firm VPBank Securities. The startup, founded in 2018 as a multi-service consumer platform, offers ride-hailing, food delivery, financial services, and telecommunications. 

Apart from Grab, the company is also competing against Indonesia-based Gojek, which offers competing services. 

Bobobox

Bobobox is an innovative accommodation startup making waves in Indonesia. The company offers uniquely designed “smart rooms” for rest and sleep equipped with wi-fi, smart lights, speakers, charging ports, and more. These rooms have a central control panel managed through a smartphone app. 

The Bandung-headquartered startup plans to expand its portfolio of hotels while also improving its product experience. Founded in 2017, it currently offers rooms starting at USD 10 per night. It experienced a significant downturn during the recent pandemic but has managed to bounce back to fuel future expansion and recently opened five new locations. Starting 2025 on a high note, they launched 5 new properties in Indonesia last month.

Aviasales

Thailand’s Aviasales was founded in 2007 as a blog about travel bargains but quickly expanded into a travel service. Today, it operates as a metasearch service for travel vendors. Users can book flights, hotels, trains, etc., directly through the platform. Headquartered in Bangkok, it operates in 14 countries, including the United States.

Aviasales primarily operates through its website but has also launched Android and iOS apps. Its Aviasales Plus product provides premium support services, cashback incentives and exclusive travel content.  

Travelio

A significant problem that many Indonesian property owners face is finding reliable tenants for their properties. The renting process can be cumbersome for both landlords and tenants. This challenge offers a vast opportunity for a platform that can help ease the process and utilise properties to their full potential. That’s precisely what travel startup Travelio is trying to accomplish. 

The company operates a property rental platform which includes short-term, medium-term, and long-term rentals. It aims to help property owners realise rental yields while their investment gains value over time.

In Indonesia, property rentals are usually paid upfront for the entire year. This can be a significant financial burden for renters. Travelio offers financing options allowing renters to pay monthly, which can help create a better experience for renters. 

In April 2023, the company raised Series C funding of an undisclosed amount, which will help it further expand operations and improve the quality of its services. 

Easybook

In Singapore, travelling by bus used to be an inconvenient process since bus schedules were not readily available, and travellers had to physically book tickets. All that changed in Singapore and Malaysia when Easybook opened in 2006. This specialised online platform offers bus ticket booking services in both countries, leveraging its partnership with over 700 bus operators that ply more than 20,000 routes between them. 

Easybook has grown into Southeast Asia’s largest ticketing platform, having sold over 5 million tickets. While it had expanded to over 10 countries, it scaled down its operations during the pandemic to focus on Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. 

With tourism in full swing post-pandemic, Southeast Asia remains a promising market for travel tech startups. The region is home to a healthy startup ecosystem and enjoys significant investor attention. Due to the region’s substantial population and rising incomes, a successful startup can enjoy immense growth. 

Various tourism tech startups in Southeast Asia have already established themselves in areas as diverse as accommodations, metasearch, and bus tickets. However, vast untapped potential in tourism tech in Southeast Asia remains to be unlocked.