In a world where travelers increasingly choose authentic experiences and sustainable vacations, Northbound Travel positions itself as an innovative player in the travel industry. This Dutch travel organization brings together several brands focused on Northern European destinations and aims to achieve growth through technological modernization. For the technical implementation, Northbound Travel turned to NetRom, with whom it has been collaborating for more than fifteen years. Discover how Northbound Travel, with our support, is transforming its IT infrastructure to prepare for future expansion.
Since early 2025, Buro Scanbrit, Voigt Travel, Motoerit Motorreizen, and Scandinavian Wintersports have been brought together under the name Northbound Travel for the Dutch market, as part of the Stena Line Travel Group. More than 100 employees work on Northern European travel destinations for the Dutch market.
Northbound Travel faces the challenge of integrating and consolidating its different brands at the IT level as well. “IT is a significant challenge for the travel industry in general,” says Arjan de Ruijter, Change Lead. “Many backend systems still date back to the pre-internet era.”
At the same time, demand for customized travel products is increasing, such as self-drive tours that combine ferries, hotels, and excursions, where real-time availability is becoming increasingly essential. “Our IT landscape must be ready for rapid, targeted growth,” De Ruijter explains. The decision to adopt a composable software stack is also intended to make it easier to integrate future acquisitions.
The IT strategy focuses on a single central backend from which integrations are created for all brands. “We are moving from three architectures to one,” explains Erik Pasterkamp, Head of Technology. “In addition to the backend system, we also want to build a single new frontend architecture, allowing us to create unique websites for all brands on one shared foundation.”
NetRom plays a crucial role in this project. “We want to transition to new technology as quickly as possible,” says Pasterkamp. “Even learning how to collaborate with a new partner takes time — something that is no longer necessary with NetRom.” Northbound has fully outsourced its development work: “We are good at selling travel, but we are not a tech company.” NetRom contributes proactively and delivered a prototype early in the process that closely matched the requirements from the business side.
‘‘The NetRom team has deep knowledge of the travel industry. This level of expertise is not something we easily find elsewhere. The level of knowledge is truly high: you can bring them a question and they will provide a well-considered answer.’’
ARJAN DE RUIJTER, CHANGE LEAD AT nORTHBOUND TRAVEL
With the new IT infrastructure in place, Northbound Travel is well positioned for the future. The composable architecture enables the company to respond quickly to market developments and integrate new brands seamlessly.
De Ruijter: “Of course, the cost advantage plays a role. But more importantly, after fifteen years we are very well aligned. The NetRom team has deep knowledge of the travel industry, and that level of expertise is not something we easily find elsewhere. They provide honest advice, their solution-oriented approach is excellent, and communication is smooth, even at the executive level. I have worked with the same project manager for fifteen years.”
Interested in how Northbound Travel is modernizing its IT platform to enable sustainable growth and future acquisitions?
