New Zealand Travel Success Story Online Republic Launches New Brand Gosee

Online Republic, a division of Webjet Limited based locally in New Zealand, is rebranding as GoSee, a consolidated marketplace for car and motorhome rentals worldwide.

GoSee will combine Online Republic’s two separate travel brands, Airport Rentals and Motorhome Republic, into one specialist land travel comparison website.

CEO Darren Linton says the rebrand is a direct response to the changing travel landscape and spike in demand for road trips, as consumers seek a more effortless experience amongst the overwhelming number of travel options available.

“We want to empower travellers with unrivalled choice and a seamless experience that allows them to search and compare vehicles, all on the same site. There has been a global surge in motorhome and car rental bookings over the last couple of years, with fly-in fly-out single destination trips being rivalled by slower do-it-yourself trips. GoSee's vision is to equip consumers with everything they need to travel their own way, help them make memories, and connect them to the people and places they love.”

Beginning with online car rentals in 2004, and moving into the motorhome rental space in 2005, the value of Online Republic was recognised in 2016 when it was acquired by Webjet Limited. With Online Republic generating half a billion NZ dollars in annual sales (TTV pre-Covid), GoSee will leverage this success and enter the market as a leading player in the global car and motorhome rental marketplace, capturing the increasing consumer demand as travel returns in 2022 and beyond.

With a total of 1400 suppliers across 160 countries, GoSee will offer great value rental rates and exclusive deals, with 24/7 customer support.

“The new positioning speaks to the trust that the Online Republic brands have built with travellers over the past 15 years. In an industry dominated by travel generalists, GoSee is an expert in the car and motorhome travel niche, having booked over 3 million car rentals and 3 million motorhome rental days for happy customers under the Online Republic brand. Being based locally in Aotearoa, we see ourselves as our customers’ well-travelled and adventurous friend, ready to share expert advice to ensure our customers have the best trip possible,” says Linton.

With consumer trends indicating a rise in last-minute bookings and an increased desire for flexible booking systems, Linton also reveals that GoSee is implementing measures to reassure customers.

“In response to the pandemic’s impact on travel, we want to make it as safe and easy as possible for travellers to leave the house and pursue meaningful experiences. Whether that’s through our suppliers’ flexible booking policies or increased focus on health, safety and hygiene, we know travellers are ready to get on the road again and we want to be an essential part of that journey”.

The launch of GoSee will also be accompanied by a new advertising campaign, scheduled to launch across two phases in November and March. Chief Marketing Officer Ali Duncan says the campaign will focus on celebrating the travel journey, just as much as the destination.

“More often than not, the road to getting there can be just as good as being there. Our creative concept focuses on the emotion of travel which is stronger now than ever, and connecting people to the friends, family and places they love. We want to emphasise that making memories can be enjoyable from the get-go and encourage travellers to spend more time adventuring and less time planning” says Duncan.

The new GoSee website is now live and was developed in partnership with design led digital agency DNA Design. The GoSee interface was designed with simplicity and ease of use at its core, with a focus on creating unique, high value experiences for customers. An enhanced booking flow design is scheduled to launch in early 2022.

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