The 'My Destination' Story

Features : November 2011

The 'My Destination' Story

Neil Waller and James Street were two business studies students at Bath University when the idea of My Destination came to them. Realising this was a now or never moment, they dropped out of university to make it happen. Theirs is a story of true entrepreneurship; of having the courage of your convictions, the courage to abandon the safe, secure route. Today, the multi-award-winning My Destination is one of the fastest growing networks of travel websites in the world.

The 'My Destination' Story

It all started in 2006. Neil and James, about to enter their university final year, took one of their many trips to Marbella, in Spain – where both had family holiday homes. While checking out online what was happening on the Marbella scene, they realised there was no easy-to-navigate information source. Sure, there were plenty of websites, but none that really addressed the destination as a whole; it wasn’t long before marbellainfo.com was born.

My Destination co-founders, Neil Waller (left) and James Street

They knew the area well. They knew they could build a website covering all the things holidaymakers wanted to know, including details about flights, car hire, hotels, what to do, where to go and what to see. They saw their new site as being a combination of Expedia, Trip Advisor and Time Out. To their surprise – and delight – it didn’t take long before over 30 businesses had booked advertising. The seed of My Destination was sown and the pair never returned to complete their studies.

They set their sights next on the Algarve, in Portugal. Staying with friends, sleeping on sofas and floors while creating the site, they soon realised that managing two sites in different parts of Europe was too much. They licensed the idea to a friend who lived there and shifted focus to their next move – the basis for My Destination’s success, the franchise model.

As we go to print with this story, My Destination franchises cover 109 destinations in 60 countries – but by the time you read this, the number is sure to have increased! Through the collection of license fees, management fees and ‘commission’ on ad sales, the franchise model has facilitated rapid growth without the need to bring in outside investment or loans. At the same time, the model means franchisees go straight to first base with a fully functioning, sophisticated website backed by global branding, top-flight SEO services, marketing, PR and more – all through tapping the centralised pool of freely-available My Destination expertise.

To fuel the most recent growth, which included a move to new London premises and bringing in-house most of the creative and technical functions – and to pave the way for implementation of the long-term strategic plan – Neil and James have offered all franchisees the opportunity to buy shares in the company; offerings have been significantly over-subscribed, indicating the faith at grass roots level in where My Destination is going.

Keeping abreast of the latest technology

And it’s at grass roots level where My Destination has the edge over every single one of its competitors. Each franchisee is passionate about his or her own destination. They live there, probably have done for some time, and know it well. They don’t have to worry about SEO, design, innovation, administration and so on. Instead they’re free to focus on the sharp end – gathering the information and other content, including multimedia, that brings their own destination website alive and finding the advertisers that make it financially viable.

The franchise model keeps centralised operating costs low, which means the cost of advertising on the sites can be low. Profit margins are slim, but with 109 sites (and growing) around the world, those margins add up. Advertisers have a wide variety of choices about how to be part of a My Destination website – the entry level ‘Silver Profile’ offering incredible value for those serious about promoting their business to a global audience.

The 'My Destination' Story

My Destination annual conference 2011, in Dubai

Never known to stand still, Neil and James are ready to take the business to the next level. A hotel booking engine, incorporated into the sites just a couple of months ago, is fully functioning and offers visitors instant comparisons between rates of most leading providers.

Already mobile apps have been built that allow visitors in the area to see what deals and offers are nearby, creating added revenue possibilities for advertisers. And with ‘relevancy’ and ‘interactivity’ the buzzwords in the online space right now, My Destination is investing in the latest technology and the best in human resources to ensure it takes (and maintains) its place at the forefront of the digital travel scene.

In 2006, Neil and James built a crude, but successful, website one summer between university semesters. Five years later, all 109 websites under the My Destination banner are anything but crude and attract millions of visitors. Uniquely in the online travel world, My Destination has created a global presence yet retained a distinctively local feel.