Challenge
Capturing travel intent in a long, multi-touch journey
ITAKA is Poland’s leading travel agency and tour operator, established in 1989. Known for its wide selection of global travel experiences, the brand has earned numerous awards for service quality and has consistently ranked at the top of the Polish tourism industry. With a reputation for excellence and an extensive customer base, ITAKA remains a go-to choice for leisure travelers in Poland.
Despite their strong brand recognition, ITAKA faced a familiar challenge in the digital era: navigating the long, complex customer journey typical of travel planning. ITAKA needed a partner who could help them capture new, in-market audiences with high travel intent, maintain performance across channels, and keep acquisition costs under control—especially during seasonal peaks.
Solution
Activating full-funnel reach with cross-channel precision
To engage travelers across their journey, ITAKA partnered with Criteo to roll out a full-funnel strategy centered on acquisition and re-engagement. Criteo’s AI-powered engine enabled the team to identify and reach users actively planning their next trip, leveraging real-time travel intent signals across both web and app environments.
The addition of Meta inventory in late 2023 gave ITAKA further scale, allowing them to reach a broader pool of in-market travelers while maintaining relevance. Criteo’s dynamic creative formats and predictive targeting ensured that each interaction was timely, personalized, and optimized for performance even during high-demand seasons.
“One of our key challenges was maintaining performance consistency across seasonal campaigns. Criteo’s AI-driven optimization and predictive targeting helped us scale acquisition efforts during peak travel periods while maintaining cost efficiency and traffic quality.”
Results
Driving efficient growth with strong returns and engagement
ITAKA achieved a 5X return on ad spend and a 4.9X increase in click-through rate—a testament to the power of cross-platform targeting, real-time optimization, and compelling creative execution. With a strategy built for flexibility, scale, and performance, ITAKA is well-positioned for continued growth across the travel funnel.
