Poland's NetMedia buys one of largest local tourism websites

Polish-held NetMedia, which specialises in electronic commerce and in online tourism services in particular, with around 30 million euros in turnover in 2009, entered the Romanian market by acquiring 70% in C & D Solutions in Brasov, owner of travel websites TourismGuide.ro and AllSeasons.ro. The transaction is NetMedia's first international acquisition.

TourismGuide.ro, one of the websites held by the Brasov-based company, which features lodging offers in Romania and abroad, is one of the most visited websites on the Romanian market, with 375,000 unique visitors last month, according to data available on trafic.ro. According to trafic.ro and SATI, the most visited tourism portals in Romania in February were infoturism.ro (368,643 unique visitors), tourismguide.ro (360,148 unique visitors) and iturism.ro (262,379 unique visitors). Brasov-based C & D Solutions, registered in 2003, posted a 4,137-euro net profit amid a 661,4400-euro turnover. Representatives of the Brasov company could not be contacted by the time this issue was ready for print.

"NetMedia has been growing fast over the last few years. With this acquisition we want to replicate Poland's success. Transferring our business model to the Romanian market should not be a problem," said Michael Bee, NetMedia vice-president, without providing details on the value of the transaction.