International travel company Join UP!, founded in Ukraine, is investing €7 million in business transformation and the development of its own travel ecosystem, Travel Universe. The company is moving from the model of a classic tour operator, focused primarily on package tours, to a comprehensive digital platform for travel services.
This was reported to Forbes Ukraine by the company’s press service.
The new Join UP! Travel Universe business model provides for the creation of a single space where customers will be able to independently design their trips by combining various services — flights, hotel accommodation, excursions, transfers, insurance and car rental.
Join UP! co-founder Alina Alba said the company has already launched direct online tour booking, including the option of installment payments for clients in Ukraine. In parallel, the company is developing a network of offline sales points in a new travel shop format, has introduced the Join UP! Wallet loyalty program and the Pocket Guide digital travel assistant, and has also updated its websites and expanded its product line through a hotel booking service.
According to the company, Join UP! currently controls around 70% of the customer travel service chain. This covers a significant part of the processes — from tour selection and booking to travel support and additional services.
By 2027, the company plans to complete the implementation of a dynamic tour system in Ukraine. This model will allow customers to flexibly create travel packages in real time, independently choosing a combination of services within a single platform.
In addition, Join UP! intends to update the operating model of its partner network and launch its own mobile application, which will become one of the key elements of the Travel Universe ecosystem.
The company is paying particular attention to integration with the airline SkyUp Airlines, which should strengthen the vertical integration of the business and expand its ability to manage the travel product within the ecosystem.
Join UP! believes that the tourism market is gradually shifting from classic package solutions to ecosystem-based digital platforms that allow customers to access a full range of services within one service. The company is focusing on travel personalization, digitalization and the development of direct sales channels.
Join UP! was founded in Ukraine in 2010 and today operates in the markets of Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova.
The group’s business is represented by several legal entities. According to YouControl, the revenue of the largest of them — Join-Up! LLC and Join Up! — amounted to UAH 38.2 million in 2025. The company’s ultimate beneficiaries are Oleksandr and Yurii Alba.
