Yanolja Recognized for Competitiveness, Now Playing on the Global Stage

Expedia Elite Partner Selected for 2 Consecutive Years

Yanolja has proven its competitiveness in hospitality solutions through Expedia, a global travel company.

Yanolja's hospitality solution member company, Yanolja Cloud Solution (YCS), was recently selected as Expedia's '2024 Elite Partner' for the second consecutive year. Expedia's 'Elite Partner' status is awarded to a select few top-tier companies that provide technology and infrastructure for travel service providers and users, with only 10 companies chosen this year. Yanolja has been recognized for its competitiveness in various areas such as hospitality solution technology and service innovation, continuing its collaboration with Expedia as an Elite Partner company this year following last year.

Yanolja is leading the digital transformation of various spaces including hotels and other accommodations, leisure, golf, and food and beverage through its hospitality solutions. Hospitality solutions refer to solutions used across travel and leisure facilities. Based on these solutions, Yanolja has established a virtuous cycle structure by acquiring travel data from each space and applying it to services. Moving forward, the company has indicated its direction to innovate the global travel interface by integrating innovative technologies such as generative AI and big data.

Yanolja began full-scale global solution business about four years ago. In 2019, it acquired Easy Technosis (now Yanolja Cloud Solution), and in 2021, it acquired Sanha Information Technology, creating rapid growth momentum. Since then, by exporting hospitality solutions not only domestically but also to global markets, Yanolja is regarded as a leading company supplying solutions to over 190 countries.

Currently, Yanolja exports cloud solutions to over 190 countries and operates 50 offices and 5 R&D centers in 27 countries worldwide, including the recently opened US office. Yanolja's cloud-based solution business is a software service that provides applications, IT infrastructure, and platforms through cloud computing, with minimal restrictions on supply regions as long as there is internet connectivity. Additionally, Yanolja has built and provides a lineup of solutions optimized for each travel space, from hotel spaces to food and beverage, leisure, golf, and travel. These are supplied as modules or packages, allowing each business operator to selectively use them, and the costs are reasonably priced, significantly enhancing operational efficiency for businesses.

While solidifying its position as a travel super app domestically, Yanolja is fully committed to its hospitality solution business that digitally transforms all travel spaces targeting the global market. These efforts became clear with results in the third quarter of last year. Yanolja's overseas sales reached approximately 39 billion KRW, growing 5.5 times compared to the same period last year, with adjusted EBITDA of 16.9 billion KRW and operating profit of 15.9 billion KRW. The operating profit margin exceeded 40%, securing both growth and profitability based on overseas business. If the annual performance to be released around the end of March maintains the third-quarter trend, doubts about growth as a global travel tech company are expected to be resolved.

In addition, Yanolja gained new momentum by acquiring the global B2B distribution solution company GoGlobalTravel (GGT) last year. GGT supplies over one million travel inventories worldwide to more than 10,000 online and offline travel agencies. Through this acquisition, Yanolja has rapidly emerged as a global travel network hub that can digitally transform the entire travel journey and directly distribute inventories secured not only domestically but also worldwide.

An industry insider said, “Unlike most IT companies that remain at simple expansion of existing businesses, Yanolja appears to have captured both growth and marketability through its new solution business, a new source of revenue,” adding, “Given the results seen in the third quarter last year, the outcomes of investments and expansions in the global business should also be closely watched.”