Baolau Multi-Transport Search Engine Unveils GMS Expansion Plans

[HD video below] Baolau, a multi-transport travel search engine for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), has unveiled plans to expand its rapidly growing operations.

First conceived as a travel planning tool with timetables and fares for transport in Vietnam, Baolau is now a ticket booking platform for the three domestic airlines – Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific –, the state-owned rail operator Vietnam Railways, as well as the major bus and ferry companies.

Now firmly established in Vietnam, the company is expanding its operations to Myanmar and also has plans to open an office in Thailand.

“Thailand is already our second largest market in terms of sales. We believe that our presence in the country will help us to consolidate our position and add more services for domestic and international travellers,” said Alberto Moreno, CEO and Founder of Baolau at a press conference during the Mekong Tourism Forum 2018 in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand.

Just recently, Baolau added bus and train routes within Myanmar as well as a number of airlines based in Guangxi and Yunnan to its inventory. Travelers can now use the search engine to book domestic and international flights to and from Kunming and Nanning as well as other tourist destinations such as Dali, Lijiang and Jinghong (Xishuangbanna) in Yunnan as well as Guilin in Guangxi.

“We will not stop at flights. To deliver a real multi-transport solution, we will integrate train routes connecting the Mekong region with China as well as Malaysia,” Alberto Moreno added.

Last April, the company announced online ticket booking for rail services operated by Malaysia’s rail company, KTM, connecting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to the train network of the State Railway of Thailand.

The team is now confident that it can integrate rail services in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces by the end of the year, then extend its coverage to the rest of China.

2019 should see further transport services added to the Baolau search and booking engine, especially bus and ferry routes across the entire region.

“As a participant of the Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST) initiative launched during the Mekong Tourism Forum 2017 in Luang Prabang, Laos, we had the opportunity to benefit from the Market Access program. We travelled to Myanmar to meet potential partners, sign cooperation agreements and integrate additional transport content in our platform,” said Alberto Moreno. “Having established bus and train links connecting Kunming and Nanning from Laos and Vietnam, we thought about expanding our operations in Guangxi and Yunnan, as both provinces are part of the Greater Mekong Subregion. This move aims to fulfill our mission to serve the six GMS countries.”

Alberto Moreno, CEO and Founder of Baolau - a multi-transport travel search engine for the Mekong region, gives a presentation during M.I.S.T. (Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism) at the Mekong Tourism Forum 2018 in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand on 26 June 2018.

Alberto Moreno, CEO and Founder of Baolau, Gives a Presentation at Mekong Tourism Forum 2018

See more: Videos from Mekong Tourism Forum 2018.

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