Omio Expands Booking Platform to Brazil in South American Debut

Multi-modal travel booking platform Omio officially launched its app in Brazil, marking its debut in the South American market. According to PR Newswire, the expansion allows both domestic and international travellers to search, compare, and book long-distance and intercity bus routes alongside domestic flights from over 300 carriers within a single platform. The rollout follows a soft launch and Beta phase that ran from July to September. During this trial period, the app drew bookings from 48 different countries and earned high user ratings on mobile app stores.

Vitor Lalor, General Manager Brazil at Omio, highlighted the strategic timing of the launch.

"Brazil is one of the most vibrant markets globally, with continental dimensions, natural diversity, vast cultural heritage, and world-famous events. We are proud to support millions of travellers in experiencing the country at its best. By unifying transportation options in a single app combined with our unmatched booking experience, we empower Brazilians and international visitors alike to explore all corners of Brazil with ease, and play a vital role in supporting local tourism."

Vitor Lalor, General Manager Brazil, Omio via PR Newswire

The platform's arrival in South America coincides with a booming local tourism sector. PR Newswire reported that the sector recorded a significant increase in the first half of the year compared to the same period of the previous year, alongside record-breaking revenue figures. Flights and Brazil's extensive bus network form the backbone of this domestic integration, providing easier access to destinations that can otherwise be difficult to reach using a single mode of transport, such as Gramado/RS, Búzios/RJ, Paraty/RJ, Chapada Diamantina/BA, Lençóis Maranhenses/MA, and Bonito/MS.

This South American milestone builds upon a broader period of international growth for the Berlin-headquartered company, which was founded in 2013 and operates alongside Rome2Rio as part of the Omio Group. Earlier, NAVITIME JAPAN Co., Ltd. And Omio announced a partnership starting March 5, 2025, to enable seamless rail ticket booking for Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom directly through the NAVITIME Transit app and website. That collaboration allows users to carry over their preferred language settings while searching for European rail routes before transitioning instantly to ticket purchasing.

Furthermore, Travelweekly reported that Omio launched in Japan, marking its entry into East Asia as its forty-seventh market. That rollout unified ultra-high-speed Shinkansen bullet trains, regional rail, long-distance buses, domestic aviation, extensive ferry routes, and Japan Rail Passes. Omio founder and CEO Naren Shaam described the Japanese transport ecosystem as a gold standard of modern mobility.

"Japan is the gold standard of modern mobility. Its high-speed rail, dense regional networks, domestic aviation and ferry systems operate at a scale and precision that few countries can match,"

Naren Shaam, founder and CEO, Omio via Travelweekly

Shaam added regarding the Japanese rollout:

"Bringing this ecosystem onto Omio is a defining moment for our platform. It reflects our ambition to organise the world’s most advanced transport networks within one intelligent interface, making seamless multimodal travel the default for global travellers."

Naren Shaam, founder and CEO, Omio via Travelweekly

Travelweekly noted that the Japanese platform arrival coincided with record inbound tourism numbers, with the country surpassing significant visitor milestones. Favourable exchange rates and increased demand for iconic locations like Mount Fuji and Kyoto have elevated regional appeal, while new features such as Omio Advance allow train bookings across Japan to be secured up to 12 months in advance.

Looking ahead, the Omio Group maintains broader targets to expand its global market presence to more than 70 markets by 2028. Future platform developments include extending supported ticketing services to additional railway networks across North America and Europe, while NAVITIME Transit intends to introduce new features such as route searches prioritizing purchased rail tickets.