GetYourGuide

GetYourGuide
Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source
Name	GetYourGuide
Type	Private
Industry	Travel, Tourism, Technology
Founded	2009
Founders	Johannes Reck; Tao Tao
Headquarters	Berlin, Germany
Key people	Johannes Reck; Tao Tao
Products	Online marketplace for tours and activities

GetYourGuide is an online marketplace for booking tours, excursions, activities, and attraction tickets that connects travelers with local operators. Founded in 2009, the company grew within the global tourism ecosystem alongside platforms such as Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Expedia Group, and Viator. GetYourGuide expanded services across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, integrating with partners like Google, KLM, British Airways, and Skyscanner while navigating regulatory and market forces affecting multinational travel platforms.

History

GetYourGuide was established in 2009 by entrepreneurs Johannes Reck and Tao Tao in Berlin during a period of rapid expansion for online travel intermediaries. Early growth mirrored that of Airbnb and Uber as platform-based models disrupted traditional operators like TUI Group and Thomas Cook Group. The company scaled through rounds of venture funding amid competition from players such as Viator (acquired by TripAdvisor), Klook, Musement, and Tiqets. Strategic hires and partnerships connected GetYourGuide to airline and distribution networks including Google Flights, Skyscanner, Iberia, and American Airlines as it pursued international expansion into markets like France, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, China, and Australia.

Services and Products

GetYourGuide operates a two-sided marketplace offering booking and ticketing for tours, activities, attractions, and guided experiences. Its product suite includes mobile apps for iOS and Android, an online booking interface, and APIs used by partners such as Expedia Group, Booking.com, KLM, and Trip.com for inventory distribution. Offerings span walking tours in Rome, skip-the-line access to sites like the Louvre, day trips in Iceland, culinary experiences inspired by Paul Bocuse-era French cuisine, and ticketed events at venues like Wembley Stadium and Madison Square Garden. GetYourGuide also provides management tools for suppliers—local operators, guides, and museums—similar to platforms used by Eventbrite and Ticketmaster.

Business Model and Partnerships

The company uses a commission-based marketplace model, taking a percentage of bookings while offering dynamic pricing, cancellation policies, and supplier agreements. Key partnerships amplify distribution through channels such as Google Maps, Airbnb Experiences, Trip.com, Skyscanner, and airline ancillaries with Lufthansa and British Airways. Commercial alliances with destination marketing organizations like VisitBritain and booking integrations with metasearch engines including Kayak and Momondo expanded reach. Corporate tie-ins and B2B relationships enabled collaborations with event organizers such as Live Nation and cultural institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art to list curated experiences.

Funding and Financials

GetYourGuide raised capital across multiple funding rounds from investors including SoftBank, Temasek, Booking Holdings-related funds, and venture firms akin to Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners in the travel-tech sector. Funding milestones paralleled major investment events seen at Uber and Airbnb, enabling expansion of engineering teams, marketing in markets such as Germany and United States, and acquisitions to bolster supply. Financial reporting noted revenue growth tied to seasonal tourism cycles—peaks in Summer Olympics host cities and during major events like the World Cup—while facing revenue impacts from global shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the travel industry broadly.

Market Position and Competition

Positioned among leading activities marketplaces, GetYourGuide competes with Viator (Tripadvisor), Klook, Tiqets, Musement, and regional specialists. Competitive differentiation emphasized user experience, mobile-first design paralleling Uber and Airbnb, supplier verification processes similar to Trustpilot-style reviews, and strategic integrations with platforms like Google and Booking.com. Market dynamics are influenced by destination-specific demand in cities such as Paris, London, New York City, Barcelona, and Tokyo, and by macroeconomic and geopolitical events including Brexit and shifting visa regimes.

Corporate Structure and Operations

Headquartered in Berlin, GetYourGuide built distributed teams across product, engineering, supply, and customer service functions with regional offices to manage markets including San Francisco, Hong Kong, and London. Operational systems incorporated booking engines, payment processing, and compliance workflows interacting with financial firms and processors used by global platforms such as Stripe and Adyen. The company also developed supplier onboarding and quality assurance programs to work with tour operators, independent guides, museums, and attraction owners like The British Museum and the Vatican Museums.

Controversies and Criticism

GetYourGuide has faced criticism common to online travel marketplaces: disputes over cancellations, refund policies during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, accusations of opaque pricing practices akin to scrutiny applied to Expedia Group and Airbnb, and challenges with supplier reliability and ticket authenticity similar to issues encountered by Viator and Tiqets. Regulatory scrutiny in European markets touched on consumer protection frameworks enforced by institutions like the European Commission and national bodies such as Bundesnetzagentur. Public debates have included the impact of platforms on local guide livelihoods, echoes of concerns raised about Airbnb’s effects on housing markets, and calls from cultural institutions for clearer ticket distribution controls.

Category:Travel and holiday companies