By Bev Fearis, published 04/11/20

Online travel management company, TapTrip, has expanded its team from six to 20 people since March 2020, despite the downturn in travel.

The Manchester-based company has also opened new offices in London and Romania since the start of the pandemic.

Since its launch in 2018, it has raised £2.7 million from investors including Barclays, Techstars, Startup Funding Club, easyJet and ATPI.

“I am delighted to say that TapTrip has remained on its growth trajectory despite the recent challenges being experienced by the global travel industry,’ said Co-founder and COO Neil Ruth.

“Our pipeline of travel management companies has grown rapidly as many have realised that the online model we use for travel is far more defensible against future challenges we may face.

“The travel industry is struggling, so we adapted our service offering to help keep the industry moving, we integrated a live chat functionality into TapTrip, allowing for the human touch through tech, which is needed at a time of such uncertainty.”

Ruth said the live chat function allows TMCs to make the transition from offline to online but with assurances of human interaction, providing clients with 24/7 communication.

“This is important for traditional TMCs who typically book over phone and email. It can be the perfect stepping stone for their customers,” he said.

“In addition, it allows for enhanced speed of response and drives business travel to becoming mobile first with an assistant in your pocket.”

Ruth, who previously worked at Skyscanner, Addison Lee, and IHG, founded TapTrip along with Thomas Young, formerly Booking.com, and Jack Timblin, who joined from Sky Betting & Gaming.