European Online Travel Champion obilet.com Ready for Record Growth
4.8.2021 12:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
obilet.com, Turkey’s premier online travel ticketing platform, is set to enjoy rapid growth in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Having just acquired its arch-rival Biletall, Obilet is forecast to sell more than 20 million tickets in 2021 – up from 8 million in 2020 – and close out the year with $300 million GMV.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210804005055/en/
Having just acquired its arch-rival Biletall, Obilet is forecast to sell more than 20 million tickets in 2021, and close out the year with $300 million GMV. (Photo: Business Wire)
Thanks to its unique offerings and innovative business model, the Istanbul-based travel-tech firm is now poised to expand its geographic reach amid an expected post-Covid global recovery.
SaaS-Powered Business Model
Already known throughout the region for its enormously popular ticket-booking app, Obilet’s primary distinction lies in its SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) powered business model. Obilet, invested in by EarlyBird and EBRD, provides bus operators with a best-in-class Ticket Management System (TMS) featuring 24/7 technical support. The company thereby creates a “lock-in effect” for its business operations on the supply side.
By distributing its portfolio of bus operators using its SaaS to other online ticketing platforms on a revenue-sharing basis, Obilet adds additional revenue streams on top of its lucrative B2C sales.
One of the world’s top-10 platforms for online bus and flight tickets, obilet.com saw remarkable growth in the pre-Covid-19 2016-2019 period, boasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 77%.
Biletall Buyout Cements Leading Position
Earlier last month (July 12), Obilet cemented its regional position by acquiring Biletall, its chief B2C and B2B competitor, which since the 2000s had played a pioneering role in the digitalization of Turkey’s travel industry. Although Obilet stole the top spot from Biletall in 2016 on the B2C side, Biletall nevertheless retained its leading position at B2B coverage.
The acquisition will give Obilet 100% destination coverage in one of the world’s largest bus markets, and the biggest in Europe. Turkey’s intra-state bus market currently generates some 200 million ticket sales per year, corresponding to roughly $3 billion annually.
Currently, more than 300 bus operators compete in this highly fragmented market, which remains largely unconsolidated despite the 2019 acquisition of the country’s largest domestic bus operator by Flix.
Plans for Expansion in Post-Covid Era
Obilet now is equipped with plug-and-play B2B and SaaS solutions to be offered to both operators and online/offline ticket resellers in neighboring countries, where there is huge revenue potential for the Turkish start-up.
Obilet’s vastly enhanced market share, coupled with rising travel demand in the post-Covid era, is expected to yield 40 million ticket sales in 2022 and a GMV of over $500 million. Company officials even suggest that, as Obilet gradually expands into fresh markets, annual GMV could reach as much as $1 billion within the next few years.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210804005055/en/
Contact information
Ali Yılmaz
external.relations@obilet.com
+90 212 963 03 53
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Medisca Enters Its Next Chapter Under Founder Antonio Dos Santos29.6.2026 17:19:00 EEST | Press release
For more than 35 years, Dos Santos has helped shape Medisca into a global leader in pharmaceutical compounding. As Chief Executive Officer, he will lead the company's long-term strategy, with a focus on expanding Medisca's global reach, investing in new areas of growth, strengthening strategic partnerships, and continuing to advance the products, services, education, and expertise that healthcare professionals rely on every day. "When I founded Medisca, my vision was to raise the standard of pharmaceutical compounding by bringing pharmaceutical-grade quality to the industry and giving healthcare professionals access to the products, knowledge, and innovation they needed to deliver better patient care," said Antonio Dos Santos, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medisca. "That purpose continues to guide us. As we begin this next chapter, we'll keep investing in our people, our partnerships, and the innovation that will help shape the future of Medisca and the pharmaceutical compound
The Premier Jumping League (PJL) & McCarthy Jumping Team Announce Landmark Purchase29.6.2026 16:10:00 EEST | Press release
The Premier Jumping League (PJL) today announced that seasoned trader, investor, and competitive race car driver Jason McCarthy and McCarthy Jumping League LLC acquired the first PJL team in a landmark $50 million acquisition, building on rising momentum for the highly acclaimed professional jumping league. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260629512997/en/ The Premier Jumping League (PJL), photographed by Daniel Benson. The milestone investment represents an unprecedented valuation for a team in a newly established sports competition and underscores the confidence that sophisticated investors are placing in the PJL. The inaugural PJL season is scheduled to commence in April 2027. McCarthy brings extensive investment and trading experience to the League, having held leadership positions across the financial sector throughout his career. A graduate of MIT, McCarthy is the Founder and Managing Principal of a propr
InvestEco Sustainable Food Fund IV Holds a Final Close With Total Commitments of C$106M29.6.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
InvestEco Capital is pleased to announce the final close of the InvestEco Sustainable Food Fund IV. This fund will continue InvestEco’s work of investing in high-growth food companies that promote health and sustainability in the food sector. The Fund closed with total commitments of C$106M, the largest InvestEco fund to date. Investors include Farm Credit Canada, Export Development Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and two Government of Canada Social Finance Fund wholesalers: Boann and Realize Capital Partners. In addition, the Fund received commitments from a number of private investors and family offices. The Fund's investments to date include Humble Snacks, Little Sesame, Mid-Day Squares and Algae Cooking Club. The Fund expects to make a further 6 - 10 investments over the next few years. InvestEco Capital, founded in 2002, is a Toronto-based venture capital firm and impact investor focused on the sustainable food sector. For more information, em
Geoswift and SKUx Announce Strategic Partnership to Develop a First-of-Its-Kind Programmable Stablecoin Commerce Network29.6.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Geoswift and SKUx announced a groundbreaking partnership to develop a next-generation programmable stablecoin commerce network. This strategic collaboration bridges digital assets, traditional finance, and real-world commerce at a global scale, representing a "one-of-one" opportunity by combining Geoswift's global infrastructure with SKUx's specialized item-level controls directly within point-of-sale (POS) systems. While enterprise stablecoin usage continues to accelerate globally, governments, enterprises, payment networks, and AI-driven commerce platforms are increasingly seeking programmable payment infrastructure that can bridge digital assets with real-world commerce. The innovation goes far beyond treasury management or even enabling consumers to spend stablecoins at retail locations. Instead, it unlocks true "programmable money" with embedded controls, rules, and purpose-driven utility —requiring both programmable settlement and programmable spending controls. Geoswift and SKUx
Esri Sponsors Smithsonian Exhibition Showcasing Natural and Cultural Objects from All 50 States29.6.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, is sponsoring From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage, a new exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History that showcases objects from all 50 states and explores the deep connections between people, place, and the natural world that unite the nation. The exhibit, which opened this June 18 and runs through 2029, brings together more than 600 specimens and cultural artifacts from across the United States, Washington, DC, and the five territories that people call home. Drawing from the museum's own collection, From These Lands shows how natural systems, cultural traditions, and geography intersect. The exhibition presents stories that span millions of years—from ancient fossils and geological formations to cultural artifacts and scientific breakthroughs—inviting visitors to reflect on their own sense of place. By pairing natural specimens with cultural objects, From These Lands demonstrates how huma
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom