Online travel booking site Wotif has entered into an agreement to acquire booking site GoDo, founded by SmartCompany blogger and RedBalloon chief executive Naomi Simson.
The booking engine, founded in 2006, offers deals from 1,000 suppliers for about 2,000 separate activities, with Simson saying the site was founded due to demand for a self-booked tourism experience.
It offers products including tickets to theme parks, day spas and extreme activities including V8 supercar racing.
The site is similar in theme to Naomi Simson’s main business, RedBalloon. The acquisition will be condition on the satisfaction of a “number of conditions”, according to Wotif, with the transaction set to occur in the next two months.
“Due to the level of acquisition consideration not being of a material amount, no disclosure is made with respect to the purchase price for this transaction.”
Simson said in a blog that while she was proud of the business, “it should have the opportunity to capitalise on its full potential… and new ownership will allow it realise this opportunity”.
“It is such an obvious fit. Both businesses are focused on tourism and travel, both businesses are entrepreneurial and innovative – there is a wonderful cultural fit. And I know that the business is going to a place where it will truly thrive, beyond what I could ever do for it.”
“I’m sure as an entrepreneur I still have many more businesses that I will start… the ones that I have started in the last eight years since founding RedBalloon have all come from listening to customers, seeing an opportunity and going for it.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
