Industry Pioneer Nominated to VELTRA Board

Viator founder Rod Cuthbert to join VELTRA as Non-Executive Director; Company accelerates international expansion

Tokyo, March 13, 2019 - VELTRA Corporation has announced the nomination of Rod Cuthbert to its board as a non-executive director. VELTRA is Japan’s leading online retailer of tours and activities; the company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE:7048) on December 25, 2018.

Mr. Cuthbert is the founder, former CEO and Chairman of Viator, Inc. Founded in Sydney in 1995, Viator is recognised as the first online retailer of tours and activities and has maintained its position as market leader since launch. The company was acquired by TripAdvisor, Inc. in 2014. Mr. Cuthbert served as Chairman and CEO of Melbourne based online travel company Rome2rio from 2012 to 2018.

VELTRA CEO Wataru Futagi said that VELTRA was delighted to gain Mr. Cuthbert’s services: “We have had a long association and friendship with Rod, going back to our earliest years. We expect his experience in pioneering the tours and activities marketplace, and developing brand presence in international markets, will be of great value to us as we expand our own business outside Japan,” he said.

Discussing his appointment, Mr. Cuthbert said that VELTRA’s 2016 acquisition of leading European OTA City Discovery was a good first step towards global expansion. “The whole industry is growing quickly, and there’s no sign of a slowdown in consumer demand for quality experiences. The VELTRA team has grown their Japanese business quickly and dominate their domestic market; with a successful IPO and the City Discovery purchase behind them, they’re well placed to make their mark in global markets,” he said.

The company announced that Mr. Cuthbert’s nomination will be made official at a Shareholders Meeting on March 28, in Tokyo.

About VELTRA
With over 13,000 tours & activities and 300,000 customer reviews, VELTRA is a world leader in the online tours & activities marketplace. Its offices in Tokyo, Bangkok, Honolulu, Kuala Lumpur, London, Makati City, Paris and Singapore make VELTRA a truly global business, focused on delivering authentic experiences. VELTRA is dedicated to the advancement, evolution and development of a global online marketplace where people from around the world can connect to interact, share experiences, and understand one another.

For press inquiry, please contact pr.jp@veltra.com