Travelstart has disclosed in a communique to its customers that “it will be available online only from the 25th of August 2015”.
The company took the initiative to make its service in Kenya exclusively online in a bid to save clients from the hassle of moving around just to visit their office to plan and book trips.
“We will be 100% online. All our efforts in Kenya continue, the change is that we won’t have a physical office,” said Lori Berelowitz, Travelstart’s International Commercial Manager.
The company declined to comment on the employment status of the current workforce of it’s Kenya office. However, the firm will still offer travel deals, flights and holiday packages to its Kenyan customers.
The startup began operations in Kenya in 2012. The company’s country manager, Bryan Kariuki, moved to Cellulant to become its Kenyan CEO a few months ago.
Ticket orders will now be made through any of these channels, M-Pesa, Bank deposit, Internet Transfer or credit card.
Founded in 1999, Travelstart operates in South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey.
Update: [28th of August, 2015. 15:50] This story had been updated to include Travelstart’s response on closing its Kenyan office.
