:
Australia: ParkBooker, an independent online travel agent that is aiming to “make camping, holiday and caravan park bookings as easy to discover and book as hotels”, has raised $600,000 in an oversubscribed pre-seed round.
Rising Tide Investment, Turo Australia managing director Tim Rossanis, 1form and Fillr founder, Chad Stephens, and local angel investor Yaniv Bernstein all participated in the funding round.
Founded in 2023 by Josh Volk, former global head of product at wellness and fitness service, Sweat, ParkBooker caters exclusively to holiday parks and camping and caravan park bookings, which the company says are often underserved by traditional online travel agents.
Volk told SmartCompany: “Holiday parks are a cornerstone of Australian travel, but they’ve been underserved by existing online platforms. ParkBooker is here to address this gap with a solution designed to meet the specific needs of park operators and holidaymakers alike.”
ParkBooker is specifically keen to capitalise on demand for outdoor stays and trips during the peak summer period. Tourism Research Australia data showed that Australian travellers took 15.3 million caravan and camping trips and spent AU$14.3 billion on such trips in 2023, while national occupancy at caravan parks showed a year-on-year increase of three per cent by December 2024.
Looking ahead, ParkBooker plans to increase booking options for travellers and to continue building out its platform for park operators.
