Despegar
Despegar is a Latin American online travel company offering digital booking, travel-finance, and related tourism services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Despegar is an online travel company founded in Argentina in 1999 by Roberto Souviron. The business began as a digital travel-booking platform and expanded from its home market across Latin America, becoming one of the region's largest online travel portals. Its core proposition is a one-stop marketplace where customers can search, compare, and purchase flights, accommodation, package holidays, car rentals, bus tickets, cruises, travel insurance, and other destination services through websites and mobile applications. The company operates primarily in the consumer-facing B2C travel market, while also providing white-label technology and booking services to institutional partners such as banks, airlines, and retailers. Its principal consumer brands are Despegar in most markets and Decolar in Brazil. The business has also developed financial-services capabilities, including payment and installment products connected to travel purchases. Its Sofia artificial-intelligence assistant is intended to support customer discovery and service interactions. Despegar's expansion has combined organic geographic growth with acquisitions. Hotel reservations were added to the platform from 2009, broadening the company beyond air-ticket sales. Following its 2017 New York Stock Exchange listing, Despegar acquired or announced the acquisition of several regional travel businesses. In 2019 it purchased Viajes Falabella, extending its presence in Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. In 2020 it acquired Mexico's Best Day Travel Group and Brazilian payments company Koin. In 2022 it announced the purchase of Brazilian online travel agency Viajanet. Prosus agreed in December 2024 to acquire Despegar for $19.50 per share, valuing the transaction at approximately $1.7 billion. The transaction was completed in May 2025, after which Despegar became a Prosus subsidiary. The acquisition changed the company's ownership structure from a publicly traded travel company to an operating business within Prosus's broader technology-investment portfolio. Despegar remains active as a Latin American travel platform, with operations spanning approximately 19 to 20 markets in the region.
History
Despegar was established in Argentina in 1999 by Roberto Souviron. It emerged during the early growth of internet commerce as a digital alternative to traditional travel agencies, initially concentrating on the online sale of airline tickets. Its geographic strategy was regional rather than limited to Argentina: the company expanded into additional Latin American markets and developed localized operations under the Despegar name, while using the Decolar brand in Brazil. A significant early product expansion came in 2009, when hotel booking was integrated into the platform. This moved the business from a primarily air-ticket intermediary toward a broader online travel agency capable of combining flights and accommodation. Over time, the marketplace added package holidays, rental cars, buses, cruises, insurance, and other services associated with trips and destinations. The company also built mobile applications and partner-facing technology, allowing banks, airlines, retailers, and other organizations to distribute travel inventory through white-label solutions. Despegar became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017. The listing provided a public-market structure for a company whose growth depended on regional scale, technology investment, and consolidation in Latin American travel. After the listing, Despegar pursued acquisitions intended to increase inventory, customer reach, and payment capabilities. In 2019 it acquired Viajes Falabella, the travel portal connected with Falabella's retail operations, in markets including Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. In January 2020 it acquired Best Day Travel Group, one of Mexico's prominent travel agencies. During 2020 it also acquired Koin, a Brazilian fintech focused on payment services and buy-now-pay-later functionality, linking the travel marketplace with consumer-finance capabilities. In early 2022, Despegar announced the purchase of all of Viajanet, a major Brazilian online travel agency. The deal further increased the company's Brazilian scale and complemented its existing Decolar presence. Across these developments, Despegar's business evolved from a flight-booking website into a multi-category travel marketplace with both B2C and B2B activities. The company also introduced Sofia, an artificial-intelligence assistant intended to help users navigate travel planning and customer-service interactions. The ownership structure changed substantially in 2024 and 2025. In December 2024, Prosus agreed to acquire Despegar at $19.50 per share, for an announced total value of approximately $1.7 billion. Completion occurred in May 2025, making Despegar a subsidiary of Prosus, itself part of the Naspers group. Despegar therefore continued as an operating Latin American travel brand while moving from independent NYSE-listed ownership into a larger international technology-investment group.
- 2025
Prosus acquisition completed
[1]Despegar became a subsidiary of Prosus after completion of the acquisition.
- 2024
Prosus takeover agreement
[1]Prosus agreed to acquire Despegar for $19.50 per share.
- 2022
Viajanet acquisition announced
[1]Despegar announced the purchase of all shares of Brazilian online travel agency Viajanet.
- 2020
Best Day and Koin acquisitions
[1]The company acquired Best Day Travel Group in Mexico and Brazilian fintech Koin.
- 2019
Viajes Falabella acquisition
[1]Despegar acquired Viajes Falabella's booking operations in several South American markets.
- 2017
New York Stock Exchange listing
[1]Despegar became a publicly traded company on the NYSE.
- 2009
Hotel booking is added
[1]The platform began integrating hotel reservations alongside airline-ticket booking.
- 1999
Despegar is founded in Argentina
[1]Roberto Souviron founded Despegar as an online travel business in Argentina.
Products and positioning
A regional, digital-first travel marketplace focused on broad Latin American coverage, comparative shopping, online self-service, localized payment options, and integrated travel products.
Flight booking · 1999
Air travel
Despegar's original and continuing core category is online airline-ticket search and booking. Customers can compare available air itineraries and purchase tickets through the company's digital platforms.
Accommodation booking · 2009
Hotels
Hotel reservations were added to the platform from 2009, allowing users to arrange accommodation alongside flights and supporting the company's transition to a broader travel marketplace.
Travel packages
Packages and activities
The platform offers package tours and other destination-related travel services, enabling customers to combine or purchase multiple elements of a trip through one digital channel.
Travel services
Ground and ancillary travel
Despegar's marketplace includes car rentals, bus tickets, cruises, travel insurance, and additional services used before or during travel.
Travel finance and payments · 2020
Koin
Koin is the Brazilian fintech acquired by Despegar in 2020. Its capabilities include payment solutions and buy-now-pay-later functionality connected with travel purchases.
Artificial-intelligence assistant
Sofia
Sofia is Despegar's artificial-intelligence assistant, designed to support travel discovery, planning, and customer interactions within the company's digital ecosystem.
Brand decisions
2024
Agree to Prosus acquisitionM&ABackground
Despegar's ownership structure was set to change from an independently listed public company to a subsidiary of a global technology-investment group.
Action taken
Prosus agreed to purchase Despegar shares for $19.50 each.
Aftermath
The agreement led to Prosus ownership after completion in 2025.
Announced transaction value. Approximately US$1.7 billion (December 2024)
2022
Acquire ViajanetM&ABackground
Brazil is a major regional travel market and an important operating territory for Despegar's Decolar brand.
Action taken
Despegar announced the purchase of 100% of Brazilian online travel agency Viajanet.
Aftermath
The transaction was intended to increase Despegar's scale and reach in Brazil.
Reported purchase price. Approximately US$15 million (2022)
2020
Acquire Best Day Travel GroupM&ABackground
Despegar pursued greater scale in Mexico and across Latin American online travel.
Action taken
The company acquired Mexican travel agency Best Day Travel Group.
Aftermath
The deal expanded Despegar's Mexican operations and regional travel inventory.
Reported purchase price. More than US$130 million (January 2020)
2020
Acquire KoinM&ABackground
The company wanted to strengthen payment and consumer-finance capabilities around travel purchases.
Action taken
Despegar acquired Brazilian fintech Koin.
Aftermath
Koin became part of Despegar's financial-services capabilities, including installment-oriented payment products.
2019
Acquire Viajes FalabellaM&ABackground
Despegar sought to expand its regional customer base and travel distribution.
Action taken
It acquired Viajes Falabella's booking portal operations in Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina.
Aftermath
The acquisition increased Despegar's presence in several South American markets.
Reported purchase price. Approximately US$27 million (2019)
2009
Expand from flights into hotel bookingProduct launchBackground
The company was seeking to broaden its online travel proposition beyond airline tickets.
Action taken
Despegar integrated hotel reservations into its platform.
Aftermath
The move supported the development of a wider travel marketplace covering multiple parts of the customer journey.
Recent events
Reported
Despegar agrees to acquire a stake in Stays.net[3]
Despegar announced that it had agreed to purchase a 51 per cent stake in Brazilian SaaS business Stays.net for approximately $3.1 million.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Decolar launches co-branded credit card with Visa and Santander Brazil[4]
Despegar said its Brazilian subsidiary Decolar launched a co-branded credit card in Brazil in partnership with Visa and Banco Santander (Brasil).
Sources4 sources
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