Travala, an online platform that allows crypto users to book hotel rooms in thousands of destinations around the world, has registered remarkable growth in bookings during the Christmas holiday season. More than half of those in December were paid in cryptocurrency, with bitcoin cash among the preferred options.
Rooms booked via the Travala website have been steadily rising throughout 2019, crossing another milestone last month, the travel agency announced in its most recent monthly report. The total number reached 1,528 in December, which represents a more than 15% increase over November, when 1,326 room nights were booked. The overall booking revenue was up 33.5% month-on-month, the document details. Besides the increase in bookings, the average price per room night also went up – from $97 in October and $115 in November to $133 in the last month of 2019, when the bookings peaked.
The report also shows that more than 60% of all Travala bookings in December were paid using cryptocurrencies, with bitcoin core (BTC) topping the list with 28%, followed by the platform’s native AVA token with over 9%. Bitcoin cash (BCH) is a close third with 8% of all bookings. Ethereum (ETH) accounts for 4% and Binance coin and dash each have 3%. Monero (XMR) was used in 2% of the cases, while the total of payments with other cryptocurrencies amounted to 6%. Fiat transactions with credit cards and Paypal had a 37% share.
Travala’s crypto payment gateway accepts multiple cryptocurrencies, also including XRP, LTC, TRX, NAN, XRB, ADA, DAI, and TUSD, allowing crypto enthusiasts to pay for its services with their favorite digital coin. The platform’s AVA token, based on the NEO network, is used to fuel its Smart discount and loyalty program which provides up to 10% savings on hotel and other accommodation bookings for users of the Travala.com wallet. A total of 2,305,000 AVA, close to 5% of the circulating supply, is locked within the Smart program which already has 550 members.
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