Africa’s travel search engine Travelstart, has launched mobi-site bookings via mobile devices in Kenya, weeks after it introduced in Nigeria and South Africa, making it the first such engine in the country.
The mobile site, will allow travellers from Kenya to search and buy local and international flights, and receive instant booking confirmation via their emails.
According to Kenyan Country Manager Bryan Kariuki the new mobile-friendly website will meet the needs of an increasing amount of Travelstart customers accessing the flight booking site from their mobile devices.
“Africa, out of necessity, has advanced rapidly in terms of mobile commerce and we look forward to connecting with a new audience through the new mobile optimized website. In the near future M-Commerce will mean everything when it comes to online shopping in Kenya and we want to be in a position where we can meet the needs of mobile dependent customers on their preferred devices.”
Travelstart said it reported a 462% increase in mobile traffic to its local portal between 2012 and 2013, with an upwardly mobile audience in December 2011, with 33.1% of all connected devices comprising mobile. With reports claiming the figures have grown to 39.18%.
“Mobile devices are an indispensable tool and a prominent feature of everyday life in Kenya. With the mobile friendly version of the website now available we are able to offer the most powerful features and flexibility of Travelstart to cellphone and tablet connected customers.” said Kariuki.
Users can filter their search topics to specific airlines, times or simply by price. Once a flight is found, customers can book and pay for it directly from their mobile phone, or reserve the seat and pay for it later via one of Travelstart’s several payment methods.
The mobile site is linked to the existing Travelstart.co.ke which has also been rolled out in South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, and will be followed by Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE.