The travel agency that Eoding met today is ‘Yana Trip.’ Yana Trip is an agency that is solidifying its position as a specialist in Dubai and the Middle East. Join Eoding to hear the detailed story of Yana Trip and find out why they chose the Middle East, a somewhat unfamiliar travel destination!

Q. Hello. Please introduce yourself.

Hello. I am Director Jo Yeon-ah of Yana Trip. I am responsible for overall sales at Yana Trip, primarily handling client contracts and product development. In addition, I serve as an advisor for the tourism sector and participate in the Seoul Tourism Association’s Middle East Diversification Promotion Committee. Before founding the travel agency, I collaborated on tourism development in Fiji and the Philippines as an overseas volunteer for the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA, 39th Tourism Corps), and subsequently worked at a honeymoon travel agency.

Yana Trip

Q. What kind of travel agency is Yana Trip?

Yana Trip is a corporate travel agency based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, specializing in the Middle East, including Oman and Saudi Arabia. We handle a wide range of services, from flights, hotels, and vehicles to support for exhibitions and MICE. As a wholesale firm, we provide services to both OTA platform sites and Korean travel agencies, and we are a travel agency capable of handling inbound tourism for visitors from the Middle East.

[Yanatrip](https://i2.wp.com/hi.eoding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/22.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1)

In 2015, we were selected as a tourism venture company, and in 2016, we advanced to the finals of the US Travel Startup competition and received investment. Subsequently, we participated in RISE in Hong Kong and secured seed investment from the global venture capital firm SOSV in 2017, becoming the first Korean company to do so.

The name Yanatrip stands for “You Are Not Alone,” meaning “You are not alone; Yanatrip is here with you.” Q. Is there a reason you chose to become a travel agency specializing in the ‘Dubai & Middle East’ region among the many travel destinations?

To be precise, it is a business model that changed after COVID-19. Initially, we started as a tour and activity platform. For nearly three years, from 2015 to 2017, we raced to make the tour and activity platform a success as a global startup, but the process was not easy. Starting in 2018, we began to run short of funds, and unable to attract follow-up investments, we reached a point where we had no choice but to scale back our platform business. We had hit the limits of the platform business.

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‘Visiting the 2022 Arabian Travel Mart’ Photo courtesy of Yana Trip

However, this process wasn’t entirely difficult. Since I had been personally traveling to various parts of the world to sign direct contracts with suppliers for the past 10 years to build a tour and activity platform, I had maintained a steady business relationship with Dubai. As my network with overseas business partners continued to grow, I was able to establish ties with Dubai’s state-owned travel agency. Through consistent business with Arabian Adventures, a desert tour supplier for the Emirates Group, we built trust, which led to the signing of a General Sales Agent (GSA) contract for Korea in 2019. This qualified us to supply products to Korean travel agencies and allowed Yanatrip’s business model to expand further into the B2B sector.

Although all travel came to a halt due to COVID-19, business travel demand continued to emerge in Dubai, as it is a logistics hub. With the idea of ​​developing into a travel agency specializing in Dubai since we held the exclusive distributorship for Dubai travel, we positioned ourselves as a travel agency specializing in Dubai and the Middle East.

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Visiting the 2022 ATM Arabian Travel Mart’ Photo courtesy of Yana Trip

Q. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 was by no means an easy time for the travel industry. What was it like for Yana Trip, and how did you overcome it?

2020 was a really difficult time. Like everyone else, we were in a state where we were generating absolutely no revenue and couldn’t avoid monthly deficits. We went through a dark period with zero sales for a year, but fortunately, starting in 2021, we began seeing activity from people preparing for overseas corporate business trips. Additionally, starting with the ‘2020 Dubai Expo’ held in the second half of last year, corporate events began to come in steadily. Related companies and local governments needed to attend the Expo, but due to COVID-19, local travel agencies had closed down, leaving few agencies available to handle the arrangements. In this situation, we consistently demonstrated our activity through our website and social media, and thankfully, during the Dubai Expo, we received requests to handle K-pop events and support exhibition booths for Korea Day. Starting with Expo-related management, we have continued to handle various Dubai-related management projects to this day. We are simply grateful. We were able to generate revenue even during the COVID-19 period, and subsequently, we were able to hire three additional employees. Although we faltered again whenever new variants emerged, we learned a great deal and gained a wealth of experience while hosting major events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q. With no end in sight for COVID-19, we have entered the endemic phase. Is there a reason you founded a travel agency despite this?

First of all, I never considered starting a different industry. When COVID-19 first broke out, I believe many in the travel industry were aware of it as well; I felt it was a different disease from previous outbreaks like MERS or SARS. I predicted that the disease would persist for at least three years. Therefore, I needed an alternative to my current business. During that time, I had the opportunity to visit Dubai, and I realized that it could be our alternative. So, we began positioning ourselves in Dubai, and we were able to prove that our predictions were correct. I was grateful that we started generating revenue after just one year, and that became the driving force that allowed us to overcome those difficult times.

[Yanatrip](https://i1.wp.com/hi.eoding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/%E1%84%83%E1%85%AE%E1%84%87%E1%85%A1%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%84%92%E1%85%A7%E1%86%AB%E1%84%8C%E1%85%B5%E1%84%83%E1%85%A1%E1%86%B8%E1%84%89%E1%85%A1%E1%84%8C%E1%85%AE%E1%86%BC-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1)
Dubai local site visit photos provided by: Yana Trip

Q. What are the unique strengths that only Yana Trip possesses?

Our biggest strength is that we are a travel agency capable of providing perfect care for Dubai. Yana Trip is a travel agency that excels at management. You can expect prompt and satisfactory service tailored to your needs. We serve our customers based on their individual know-how and experience, rather than acting as mere consultants. Our staff, who specialize in handling Dubai, is also a major strength. In particular, we have extensive experience with group events (MICE, incentives, reward vacations, and K-POP events), so we manage large-scale group events without any setbacks. This ability to provide trust in the Middle East is a unique strength of Yana Trip.

Q. It is no exaggeration to say that you currently offer everything needed for traveling in the Middle East; you sell a wide variety of products, including independent travel, honeymoons, and golf trips. Could you tell us about the process of building this system?

Building a system to sell and manage such a wide range of products was not a difficult part for us. This is because tours and activities were already part of our business, so we had suppliers directly connected to us. This allowed us to build a diverse range of products and showcase various items specialized for the Middle East to many people.


Q. I imagine many people are still unfamiliar with the “Middle East” as a travel destination. What should you keep in mind to enjoy a trip to Dubai?

If you travel to the Dubai region, your preconceived notions of the Middle East will change significantly. The security is excellent, and since Uber is available, it is perfectly fine for independent travel. One thing to be aware of is that fines for minor offenses in Dubai are very high. While the rules and regulations are strict, freedom is still pursued within them. Therefore, if you enjoy yourself freely within the boundaries of Dubai’s established laws, I believe it is the best travel destination.

Q. Among the products you are currently selling, what are your main travel packages?

Currently, regarding B2B products, we receive many inquiries for incentive travel and golf tours conducted with travel agencies. For B2C products, we are receiving many inquiries from corporate clients traveling on business trips. Naturally, managing clients traveling to Dubai for business currently accounts for a significant portion of our business.

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