Early Career and Transition into TravelTech

Sadia Haque’s journey toward becoming the CEO and Co-Founder of ShareTrip, an online travel agency in Bangladesh, began with a straightforward goal: financial stability within a corporate setting. After graduating with dual diplomas in marketing and human resources, she started her career in 2007 with Grameenphone, one of Bangladesh’s largest telecom providers. Her role in marketing exposed her to structured, corporate environments, setting a foundation in strategy, branding, and operations. 

During this period, she and her husband developed a shared interest in travel, planning budget-friendly trips by securing early deals and exploring travel logistics. This gradually revealed gaps in the travel industry, which inspired her entrepreneurial journey.

Initial Steps: From an Offline Venture to a Digital Platform

In 2014, Sadia and her husband established a part-time offline travel agency, leveraging their experiences to offer travel planning services for friends and family. This venture was initially a low-risk experiment, allowing them to explore the market while retaining their full-time jobs. The agency's steady traction among a close network led them to consider a full-scale business. After four years of bootstrapping and development, they secured their first round of funding in 2018, rebranding the offline agency into an online travel solution.

Sadia envisioned a one-stop online platform that would address common pain points like booking flights, arranging accommodations, processing visas, and customizing tours, all from a single digital interface. In 2019, ShareTrip was launched as a fully online platform, catering to Bangladeshi travelers who had previously depended heavily on foreign agencies for comprehensive travel services.

Overcoming Industry Challenges

As one of the first digital travel agencies in Bangladesh, ShareTrip faced resistance from the traditionally offline-dominated travel sector. Sadia describes this phase as an unexpectedly challenging experience, as ShareTrip encountered skepticism from industry stakeholders and potential customers. The absence of established regulatory guidelines for online travel agencies further compounded these difficulties, forcing ShareTrip to navigate a regulatory grey area.

ShareTrip responded by advocating with government ministries and trade associations, working to establish credibility and raise awareness about the value of a local online travel platform. The team focused on building partnerships with airlines, hotels, and tour operators to secure a competitive edge and access to essential services. This approach helped ShareTrip establish itself as a reliable, homegrown alternative to foreign online travel agencies.

COVID-19 and the Shift in Consumer Behavior

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a significant shift in consumer behavior, leading to increased digital adoption in Bangladesh. With traditional travel agencies closed and travel heavily restricted, consumers began seeking online options out of necessity. Sadia notes that this was a turning point for ShareTrip, as they could capitalize on this shift by listening to user feedback and incorporating features like COVID-19 testing facilities, travel insurance, and baggage protection into the platform.

This period saw a marked increase in customer retention, as many first-time online users continued to rely on ShareTrip post-pandemic. Customer suggestions further guided ShareTrip’s expansion into value-added services, laying the groundwork for new verticals within the platform.

Expanding into New Verticals: Lifestyle and Fintech

ShareTrip has expanded its focus from travel to include lifestyle and financial services as part of its expansion strategy. Recognizing an overlap in customer needs, ShareTrip began offering lifestyle products such as clothing, electronics, and pharmacy services, integrating these options into its platform. This reflects a shift from a pure travel agency to a lifestyle brand, providing Bangladeshi consumers with a diverse range of options under one digital umbrella.

Additionally, ShareTrip introduced its own digital wallet to enhance the user experience. By consolidating payments within its ecosystem, ShareTrip not only streamlined the booking process but also added convenience for its users. Sadia views this development as part of a broader strategy to cater to evolving customer expectations and build a more comprehensive service portfolio.

Future Goals and Strategic Focus Areas

In terms of future expansion, ShareTrip aims to build on its success in the travel and lifestyle sectors while exploring new opportunities within related areas. One of its primary initiatives is medical tourism, where ShareTrip has already partnered with the Malaysian Health Tourism Council (MHTC). The company is also exploring partnerships in India, Thailand, and Turkey to provide Bangladeshi travellers with access to affordable healthcare services abroad, particularly in areas offering European-standard healthcare at lower costs. 

Sadia emphasizes the importance of maintaining a focused approach, intending to solidify ShareTrip’s expertise within travel, lifestyle, and fintech. This includes rolling out new features and service portfolios over the next few years that will enhance customer experiences and drive further digital adoption in the Bangladeshi travel market.

Key Lessons and Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Reflecting on her experience, Sadia shares insights for aspiring entrepreneurs. She cautions against treating entrepreneurship as a mere status symbol, stressing the need for complete dedication and clarity of purpose. Sadia advises entrepreneurs to focus on incremental improvements within existing industries, rather than striving to reinvent the wheel. She believes that effective entrepreneurship can involve introducing enhanced solutions in established spaces, provided they address real customer needs.

Sadia also highlights the importance of building a strong foundation, attributing ShareTrip’s success to the structured approach she and her team adopted, including regulatory compliance and financial transparency. This groundwork, she argues, is essential for gaining the trust of customers and investors, particularly in a market like Bangladesh, where credibility can be challenging to establish.

Finally, Sadia emphasizes the value of humility and continuous learning. She believes the entrepreneurial journey is a learning process and requires openness to new ideas and perspectives from partners, customers, and competitors for long-term growth and resilience in an evolving industry.