A&O Shearman advises Despegar.com in USD1.7 billion sale to Prosus N.V.

Operating in 19 countries, Despegar is one of the largest travel companies in Latin America. Based in the British Virgin Islands, Despegar also includes Decolar, Best Day, Viajes Falabella, Viajanet Stays and Koin. The transaction was announced on December 23, 2024, in a press release. 

“We are very pleased to be advising Despegar on a deal poised to transform the travel industry in Latin America,” said M&A partner George Karafotias. “Our work on this transaction illustrates the broad reach of A&O Shearman and our longstanding involvement in Latin American-focused transactions.”

The AOS team was led by M&A partners George Karafotias and Sean Skiffington, M&A senior associate Drew Elphick and M&A associates Yuwei Liu, Luca Marescotti, Azka Anees and Daphne Ratnarajah, with support from partner Alan Goudiss.

U.S. securities law advice was provided by partners Roberta Cherman and Lona Nallengara. Employment advice was provided by partner John Cannon, and associate Eitan Morris. IP advice was provided by partner JB Betker and associate Zach Frankel. Antitrust advice was provided by partner Jessica Delbaum and associates Eun Joo Hwang and Kevin Duong. Tax advice was provided by partners Larry Crouch and Lorenz Haselberger and associate Jose Rego. Privacy and cyber security advice was provided by partner Helen Christakos and associate Sonya Aggarwal.