<article>Malaysia-based Muslim-centric online travel agency and hotel review platform <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.tripfez.com/" target="_blank">Tripfez</a> has completed its seed round of $750,000 led by <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/gobi-partners" target="_blank">Gobi Partners</a> and <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/intres-capital" target="_blank">Intres Capital (AXIATA Group)</a>.</article>

Malaysia-based Muslim-centric online travel agency and hotel review platform <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.tripfez.com/" target="_blank">Tripfez</a> has completed its seed round of $750,000 led by <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/gobi-partners" target="_blank">Gobi Partners</a> and <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/intres-capital" target="_blank">Intres Capital (AXIATA Group)</a>.
A number of angel investors in the travel industry like Douglas Khoo, the co-founder of <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/qunar/" target="_blank">Qunar</a>, a Chinese online travel provider, also participated in the round.
The firm, which has a headcount of 10, will use the funds to expand its offerings, increase marketing efforts, improve its technological capabilities and bring on new talent. Faeez Fadhlillah, Co-founder of Tripfez, told DEALSTREETASIA in a phone call that the firm expects to have 20 employees by end-2016.
Founded in July 2013 and launched in October 2015, the company generates revenue by buying room nights from hotels and wholesalers for a nett price and selling it at a higher price. It also intends to make money through its Salam Standard membership programme that features hotels that are Muslim-friendly, which is currently free for all to use.
To qualify as a Muslim-friendly hotel under the Salam Standard programme, brands will have to pass a few tests, including being able to provide a prayer mat on request, showing an arrow pointing toward Mecca to indicate the Qiblah direction, having a list of halal restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel, being able to remove alcohol in the room&#8217;s minibar, and having halal-certified food in the hotel for breakfast or room service.
According to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, the sole custodian of halal certification in Singapore, ‘Halal’ is an Arabic word meaning &#8216;lawful&#8217; or &#8216;allowable&#8217;. The organisation writes on its website, &#8220;Most food and drinks are considered Halal unless they are stated clearly in the Quran (holy book of Islam) and Hadith (prophetic sayings) as forbidden and non-Halal.&#8221; Non-halal food typically includes meat of dead animals and birds, flesh of swine, intoxicating drugs and alcoholic drinks.
Currently, out of 200,000 properties showcased on Tripfez, about 20,000 of them are Salam Standard certified, said the firm. Examples include Accor Hotels and Mövenpick Hotels &amp; Resorts.
Fadhlillah said that most of the web and mobile-enabled platform&#8217;s traffic can be attributed to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Middle East. Favourite outbound destinations include South Korea, Vietnam, and London.
He added that it is a lot easier to get hotels in non-Muslim countries to participate in its certification programme, as opposed to ones in Muslim countries. Hoteliers in non-Muslim countries generally see it as a huge opportunity, he said. However, ones in Muslim countries, especially markets where halal certification isn&#8217;t as ubiquitous, hoteliers often wonder why they have to get certified when they already serve Muslim customers regularly.
&#8220;Muslim consumers represent a highly underserved market segment,&#8221; said Thomas G. Tsao, Managing Partner, Gobi Partners, in a statement. &#8220;With Tripfez and Salam Standard&#8217;s halal friendly travel offerings, we believe that Muslim travellers will feel more comfortable to explore the world.&#8221;
According to MasterCard and Crescent Rating&#8217;s Global Muslim Travel Index 2015, the Muslim population is set to account for 26.5 per cent of the world&#8217;s population by 2030. The study recorded 108 million Muslim travellers in 2014, which is 10 per cent of the global travel space, and predicts that by 2020, there will be 150 million Muslim travellers with 11 per cent of the market.
“The space that Tripfez operates in provides a great opportunity as the global travel industry shifts towards more localized travel experiences. The Muslim travel market is currently experiencing a similar awakening as the Chinese travel market did in the early-to-mid 2000s,” said one of the firm&#8217;s investors Khoo.
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Malaysia-based Muslim-centric travel site Tripfez has raised money to increase its headcount and expand offerings, including working with more hotels.

Tripfez raises $750k led by Gobi Partners, Intres Capital

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Tripfez raises $750k led by Gobi Partners, Intres Capital

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