Carla Tarrés worked in a digital marketing technology company when in 2019 she decided to venture into the competitive travel agency business, where she saw a strong potential for transformation through the intensive use of digitalization combined with another major global trend in the consumer sector: personalization. This is how she founded Hanaley in early 2020, an online travel agency based in Barcelona that exclusively offers tailor-made itineraries, completely moving away from selling tour packages and avoiding the concept of organized or group trips.
Hanaley's mission ---which takes its name from a bay in Hawaii--- is to make any traveler's dream trip a reality, relying on technology and the personalized advice offered by the expert tourism professionals it employs, who are knowledgeable about the most desired destinations on the planet. Based on the preferences and chosen destination of each traveler, Hanaley designs a totally personalized experience, taking care of flight and hotel reservations, as well as organizing all value-added and differential excursions and activities to be carried out in the country. No two trips are alike, because even if the destination is repeated, some travelers prioritize, for example, gastronomic experiences, while others prefer recreational, cultural, or sports activities. The average price of the unique long-distance trips they plan ranges between 6,000 and 12,000 euros per person, lasting around thirteen days.
Newlywed couples, eager to organize the trip of a lifetime, are Hanaley's main clients, generating 50% of its business. Japan, Peru, Colombia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Polynesia, and Malaysia are currently the most desired grand trips by Hanaley users, which also works with safaris and routes in African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, and Botswana, and Asian destinations such as China, Bhutan, Nepal, and Uzbekistan. Road trips through the United States are another highly demanded product.
In 2023, the startup organized 330 personalized experiences for some 820 travelers, which translated into a turnover of 4.25 million euros, representing a 70% increase compared to the previous year, when it billed 2.5 million. Since its inception in the midst of the pandemic, it has already served more than 1,900 travelers and organized 750 personalized trips. "We don't organize different types of trips, but rather we organize trips for different types of travelers. Each client is unique and, therefore, each trip must be," says Tarrés. According to the entrepreneur, "the key to Hanaley's success" and its rapid growth is "having known how to adapt to the needs of today's consumer, which are very different from those of a few years ago. Meeting all the requirements of the new consumer, while offering a quality service, is what has helped us achieve these results".
Its goal is to grow again by double digits this year, reach a turnover of between five and six million euros, and become profitable thanks to greater operational efficiency. The workforce has already grown by four people so far in 2024, bringing the team to 19 professionals, most of them experts in major trips and in the destinations most demanded by their clients. It is expected that about three or four more people will join throughout the year.
Hanaley, which has a very light structure based on teleworking and customer acquisition through digital marketing techniques and recommendations, has so far been financed with the initial capital of 29,000 euros contributed by a group of five partners, although Tarrés is currently the sole shareholder. She assures that the first two years, as a consequence of the pandemic, were very difficult, but now she is satisfied to have persisted and managed to validate her business model without having had to resort to a funding round yet.
Opening of new markets in 2025
Tarrés, however, has already started meeting with investment funds to to be able to close a first round by the end of the year with which it plans to finance international expansionof the company and continue investing in technology. Currently, Hanaley's website is only available in Spanish, but starting in 2025 the idea is to incorporate new languages such as English, French, and German to be able to export its online personalized travel model to European countries like France and Germany. For now, the companyhas just started a pilot test this month in Mexico, trusting that this country can become its second market before Europe opens. Currently, 90% of Hanaley's clients are Spanish, mainly from Barcelona and Madrid; and 10% are already foreigners, who have learned about the company through recommendation.
"We operate in a very competitive market, so it is very satisfying to see that 20% of clients come to us through recommendations from users who have already tried us. In addition, we already have a recurrence rate of 15%, that is, clients who have already traveled more than once with us," says Tarrés.
The entrepreneur prefers not to specify the amount of the capital increase that Hanaley is designing. "We need financing to face our future plans, yes, but we don't want it at any price. It has been very difficult to get here, so I want to choose future investors very carefully, who must bet on sustainable and viable growth over time," she concludes.
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