Staff of travel start-up company Tugo at an office in HCM City. The company is developing premium tours to meet increasing demand. VNS Photo Courtesy Tugo

HCM CITY Travel start-up Tugo announced on Wednesday a tie-up with French advertising platform Criteo SA and five international carriers to expand its business in Việt Nam.

As part of a one-year deal, Criteo will provide retargeting solutions that enable Tugo to reach its target customers and promote tours with the partner airlines.

The five carriers are Vietnam Airlines, Air China, Singapore Airlines, Brunei Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Tugo said the tie-ups would enable it to develop premium tour programmes that provide customers with high-quality transportation and accommodation.

It said Việt Nam has an increasing number of international and domestic tourists, driven by a rapidly growing middle class.

Nguyễn Minh Bảo, founder and CEO of the company, said: “Over the past few years, we have been seeing stronger consumer demand for premium travel services. With the partnerships, we hope to provide premium travel experiences that satisfy the needs of the modern Vietnamese traveller.”

Criteo’s solutions provide his company with insights to his customers’ travel booking preferences and readiness to purchase.

Alban Villani, managing director, SEA-Pacific, Criteo, said: “We encourage travel operators to join us in adopting new technologies and digital solutions to better reach and engage end-users.

“Tugo is well-positioned to bring together the top airlines and customers to define what is premium travel for the modern traveler.”

The growing digital economy is driving travel booking on websites and mobile apps as Vietnamese become more mobile- and app-savvy. VNS