Travala's Loyalty Program Hits 170,000 Members, Toughens Token Lock-up Rules

Crypto-native travel platform Travala announced its AVA Smart Program has surpassed 170,000 members, a key milestone in a broader strategy to overhaul the tokenomics of its native AVA token. According to a joint announcement with the AVA Foundation, the company has set a long-term goal of locking up 30% of the token's circulating supply.

Program Growth and New Tokenomics

The AVA Smart Program, a crypto-based loyalty plan, has seen its membership grow 110% year-over-year as of August, the company reported. Currently, approximately 12.1 million AVA are locked within the program, which represents around 16% of the token’s total circulating supply.

This level of participation demonstrates a tangible use case for the token beyond speculative trading. "Having 16% of AVA’s circulating supply locked within a travel loyalty program demonstrates genuine real-world utility," said Steve Hipwell, AVA Foundation Lead Contributor, in a statement.

Stricter Requirements for New Members

As part of the tokenomics overhaul, Travala will increase the amount of AVA required for new members to join the loyalty program. Effective no earlier than November 1, 2026, new Smart memberships will require double the current AVA lock-up for every tier.

Existing members will be grandfathered in at their current requirements, but will have the option to upgrade to the new levels. Travala estimates that if all current members were to upgrade, the total locked AVA could reach approximately 20 million tokens, or about 27% of the circulating supply.

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"This update rewards everyone who has already made that commitment and gives our most loyal members the option to go further," stated Travala CEO Juan Otero.

Market and Supply Impact

For investors, token lock-ups and buybacks are significant because they reduce the amount of a token available for trading on the open market. This can, in theory, exert upward pressure on the token's price if demand remains stable or increases. The AVA Foundation's stated goal of locking 30% of the supply signals a long-term strategy focused on supply reduction.

Reinforcing this strategy, Travala recently began matching the AVA Foundation’s monthly open-market buybacks, effectively doubling the repurchase volume. Key buyback figures include:

• September 2026: A combined total of 739,762 AVA was repurchased.
• Total to date: Over 4.8 million AVA have been repurchased through the foundation's program.