Pakistan’s technology startup ecosystem has witnessed ambitious launches, substantial venture capital investments and, in many cases, difficult questions about long-term sustainability. Against this backdrop, Bookme, one of the country’s established digital ticketing and travel platforms, is positioning itself for a new phase of international expansion.
Founded in 2013 with a relatively straightforward proposition — allowing customers to purchase tickets and select seats without visiting a physical counter — Bookme has evolved into a broader travel and entertainment platform offering ground transport, flights, hotels, visas, cinemas, events and tours.
The company now claims more than 15 million registered users and has set an ambitious target of reaching 100 million users over the next five years. Equally significant is its objective of generating half of its Gross Transaction Value (GTV) in currencies other than the Pakistani rupee, signalling a strategic shift towards international markets.
For a Pakistani technology company operating in a sector traditionally dominated by international travel platforms, these ambitions represent both an opportunity and a considerable execution challenge.
Bookme’s growth strategy comes at a time when digital payments, mobile banking and changing consumer behaviour are reshaping Pakistan’s travel and e-commerce industries. However, questions surrounding profitability, transaction volumes, customer acquisition costs and the sustainability of international expansion remain particularly relevant to the country’s startup ecosystem.
In an exclusive interview with The Scoop, Taimoor Ali, Chief Operating Officer of Bookme, discusses the company’s evolution, its competitive advantages, the role of artificial intelligence, its approach to financial sustainability and the opportunity to connect Pakistan’s tourism industry with international travellers.
The following are excerpts from the interview.
The Scoop: Bookme has evolved significantly since its launch. What was the original vision behind the company, and how has that vision changed as the business has grown?
Taimoor Ali: When we launched in 2013, the vision was straightforward: people should be able to buy a ticket and choose their preferred seat without making repeated trips to a terminal, cinema or event venue.
We entered the market very early. Smartphones, mobile internet and digital payments had yet to reach today’s scale, but we believed their adoption would eventually make online ticketing an everyday habit.
That vision has expanded from digitising ticket purchases to connecting the entire travel journey. Today, we bring together transport, flights, hotels, visas and experiences, increasingly across international markets. The underlying purpose remains the same: give customers more choice, more control and less friction.
The Scoop: How big is Bookme today in actual numbers? Can you share the latest figures for annual transactions, Gross Transaction Value and customer base?
Taimoor Ali: Bookme now serves more than 15 million registered users. We have grown into a leading travel and ticketing platform in Pakistan, with a breadth of services spanning ground transport, airlines, hotels, cinemas, events, visas and tours.
Our reach also extends beyond our own app and website through distribution partnerships that bring Bookme’s services into platforms customers already use.
For us, scale means both the number of customers we serve and the range of transactions we can enable throughout their travel journey.
The Scoop: Which of Bookme’s business verticals is currently driving the strongest growth?
Taimoor Ali: Airlines and visas have delivered our strongest growth over the past two years.
We have also opened new distribution channels in international markets, giving us more ways to sell our global flight and hotel inventory. That is an important shift: our growth increasingly comes from connecting customers in different markets with content from around the world.
The opportunity is to serve more of each customer’s journey, from securing a visa to booking flights, accommodation and experiences.
The Scoop: Has Bookme achieved profitability? What are the company’s key revenue streams, and how has its business model evolved?
Taimoor Ali: Bookme is actively expanding into new markets, but we have always been mindful of sustainability. We probably belong to three very short lists of startups in the region: startups that have been operating for more than 12 years; startups that raised more than US$7 million and are still going strong; and startups that began in Pakistan, became market leaders and now operate in multiple international markets.
The company has survived pandemics and economic meltdowns and still maintains the runway for the foreseeable future. The recipe for survival is to always resort to inexpensive methods of expansion.
The Scoop: Pakistan remains largely a cash-based economy. How are digital wallets, mobile banking and Raast changing consumer behaviour, and what is still holding back digital commerce?
Taimoor Ali: Digital wallets, mobile banking and infrastructure such as Raast are helping more people become comfortable transacting online. For Bookme, that expands the number of customers who can access our services. We have operated as a cashless platform for the past eight years.
This was part of our original conviction in 2013: as smartphone, internet and digital payment adoption increased, buying tickets online would become normal.
There is still considerable room to grow. Trust and ease of use remain critical. A poor experience with an unreliable online seller can make someone suspicious of digital commerce more broadly.
Giving people a payment method is only one part of adoption. Clear pricing, reliable fulfilment, accessible support and predictable refunds are what make them willing to use it again.
The Scoop: Competition in Pakistan’s online travel and ticketing market is increasing. What gives Bookme a sustainable competitive advantage, and are you considering acquisitions or strategic partnerships?
Taimoor Ali: Our mindset has always been to move early and help shape the market. But staying ahead requires more than launching something first. It requires consistent execution over many years.
We have worked through different economic, funding and demand cycles. That experience informs how we build products, manage vendor relationships and earn customer trust.
Our distribution partnerships are another important advantage. We bring our inventory into channels where customers already transact, extending our reach and making booking more convenient.
Strategic partnerships remain central to that approach. We look for relationships that strengthen our inventory, improve distribution or help us enter a market with a clear commercial purpose.
The Scoop: Do you see Bookme evolving into an integrated travel and entertainment platform where consumers can book transport, flights, hotels and experiences through a single platform?
Taimoor Ali: We believe we are already there. Customers can access transport, flights, hotels, visas, events and experiences through Bookme.
The next challenge is to make those services work together more naturally. Someone planning a trip should be able to move from entry requirements to flights, accommodation and activities with less effort.
We have a dedicated team continually expanding our content and coverage. Our focus now is on greater depth within each vertical and a more connected experience across them.
The Scoop: What role will artificial intelligence play in Bookme’s next phase of growth? Are you already using AI for customer service, fraud prevention, personalised recommendations or operational efficiency?
Taimoor Ali: I believe AI will become a primary interface through which people discover and book travel.
Customers will increasingly describe what they want in ordinary language: their budget, dates, preferences and constraints. They will expect the platform to help them turn that request into a bookable journey.
That creates two priorities for us: make our inventory accessible to AI agents and build AI-enabled search and booking experiences within Bookme. We already have those experiences in internal beta.
The real test is whether AI helps customers complete a booking accurately and confidently. That is where we see its strongest potential.
The Scoop: Pakistan has enormous but largely untapped tourism potential. What role can Bookme play in developing domestic tourism, and do you see international expansion as part of the company’s future?
Taimoor Ali: Pakistan has extraordinary tourism assets, but turning interest into an actual trip still takes too much effort. Travellers need dependable information, clear prices and services they can book with confidence.
Bookme can help close that gap by connecting transport, accommodation, tours and experiences through a common distribution platform. For local operators, that creates access to customers they may struggle to reach independently.
Our international expansion can strengthen that opportunity. As we build distribution in other markets, we also create channels through which Pakistan’s tourism products can reach overseas travellers.
I want someone discovering Pakistan from another country to be able to move from inspiration to a confirmed itinerary. Making that journey easier is a practical way to help the sector grow.
The Scoop: What is the single biggest ambition for Bookme over the next five years, and are there any major new products, markets, investments or partnerships that you can share exclusively with The Scoop?
Taimoor Ali: Our ambition is to build a multiregional travel business with meaningful scale beyond Pakistan.
Over the next five years, we want transactions in currencies other than PKR to account for half of our total Gross Transaction Value. We also aim to grow from more than 15 million registered users to 100 million across the markets we serve.
That requires deeper inventory, stronger distribution partnerships and products that meet the needs of each market.
Beyond those targets, I want Bookme to become a credible case study for startups from Pakistan and the wider region pursuing international expansion. We want to demonstrate that a company built here can establish itself at home, compete abroad and build a durable business across markets.