Travala Integrates with Solana

Crypto-native travel bookings platform Travala has integrated with Solana (SOL), the fourth-largest blockchain by market cap, expanding support to its third network beyond Ethereum and BNB Chain.

Announcement at Solana Breakpoint

Travala CEO Juan Otero announced the integration during a panel discussion at Solana Breakpoint in Singapore on Saturday. This integration enables users to book flights, hotels, and accommodations with Solana-based assets, including SOL, USDT, and USDC, among others.

Loyalty Rewards

Users can also receive up to 10% of their bookings’ value back in SOL travel rewards through the loyalty program, alongside BTC and Travala’s native token, AVA.

“The Solana network has become one of the most-used blockchains due to its cost-effectiveness and scalability,” Otero stated. “The technologies that can be harnessed on the Solana network open significant avenues to build the next phase of travel.”

AVA Token Deployment

Following a community vote, AVA is being deployed on Solana, in addition to Ethereum and BNB Chain versions of Travala’s token. Currently, Travala supports dozens of cryptocurrencies for bookings, but fewer than ten are natively supported within the platform’s user account wallets. With this integration, users can deposit and withdraw SOL, USDT, and USDC on the Solana network directly into their Travala accounts, with zero-fee transactions on travel bookings.

Future Plans with Solana

Travala plans to embrace Solana significantly in the future. “Solana will become a cornerstone of Travala’s development strategy moving forward, with the goal of creating products that expand the real-world utility of the Solana ecosystem,” the Travala team stated.

Skyscanner Integration

Earlier this month, global travel marketplace Skyscanner, with 110 million monthly users making 80 billion searches daily, integrated with Travala to offer hotel bookings in over 100 cryptocurrencies. This integration marks the first for a crypto-native platform, making Travala’s 2.2 million hotel inventory discoverable alongside leading travel agencies like Expedia and Booking.com.

Historical Context

Originally built on the Neo blockchain when it launched in 2017, Travala migrated to BNB Chain in 2020 to benefit from better scalability, lower fees, and greater adoption as part of a broader effort to expand its reach within the crypto and decentralized finance ecosystems.