Getyourguide
Unicorn Β· $2BBerlin, DE Β· 13 known investors
Berlin-based online marketplace where travelers book tours, attraction tickets and activities from third-party operators.
Also known as GetYourGuide Β· GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH
Founders & leadership
Investors Β· 13
Also in the syndicate Β· 4
Valuation Β· disclosed
Disclosed eventsSource: SEC prospectus filings, and round valuations the company or its investors disclosed β follow each entry's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026GetYourGuide is a Berlin, Germany-headquartered online booking platform for travel experiences. Rather than selling flights, hotels or transportation, it lists things to do in destinations: skip-the-line tickets to major attractions, walking tours led by local guides, food and beverage tours, cooking and craft classes and other niche activities. Inventory is supplied by third-party operators, and the company takes a commission on each booking [3][4].
The consumer site organizes supply by destination and by activity category, covering countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America and Oceania, with dedicated pages for individual cities, regions and attractions such as the Colosseum, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Sagrada Familia and Warner Bros. Studio London [0][1]. Alongside third-party listings the company sells its own branded products, launched in 2018 under the name "Originals," which are designed by GetYourGuide and operated by contracted local operators; examples cited include switching on the lights of the Sistine Chapel and early-morning access to the Museum of Modern Art in New York [3][7].
The company is led by co-founder and CEO Johannes Reck, who holds a master's degree in biochemistry from ETH Zurich, alongside co-founder and COO Tao Tao; other executives include CFO Nils Chrestin, CMO Emil Martinsek, CTO Gaurav Agarwal and Chief People Officer Genevieve Vancutsem-Zednik [3][5][7].
Founding story
CEO and co-founder Johannes Reck, who grew up in Cologne and studied biochemistry at ETH Zurich, developed an interest in unique travel experiences during his studies; he has led the company since 2009 together with co-founder and COO Tao Tao [5].
Business model
GetYourGuide operates a marketplace/OTA model: third-party experience suppliers list tours, activities and attraction tickets, travelers book through the platform, and GetYourGuide earns a commission on each booking. It supplements marketplace inventory with its own branded "Originals" experiences, which it designs and contracts out to selected local operators, and in one case acquired an operator outright [3][7].
Commission on bookings made through the platform for third-party supplier experiences, plus revenue from its own branded Originals experiences [3][7].
Traction
More than 45 million tours, activities and attraction tickets booked by travelers from over 170 countries as of October 2020, rising to more than 200 million booked experiences across over 12,000 cities per the CEO profile page. Roughly 35,000 experience providers are connected annually. Sales volumes doubled in 2022 versus 2019 and quadrupled in Q1 2023 versus 2019. Headcount grew from over 550 (2020) to more than 850 [3][4][5].
Latest developments
In June 2023 GetYourGuide announced $194 million in equity and debt financing, with $85 million of equity led by Blue Pool Capital and participation from existing investors KKR and Temasek, and a debt tranche led by UniCredit with BNP Paribas, Citibank and KfW. The company said proceeds would fund U.S. expansion and investment in AI, including large language models used to automate generation of experience descriptions and to improve discovery and personalization [3].
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Described as a Berlin-based online travel agency and one of the leading global booking platforms for travel experiences, competing with OTAs such as Viator and Musement. CEO Johannes Reck estimated the travel experiences market at roughly $300 billion, with a broader total addressable market for experiences of up to $1.5 trillion [3][5][7].
Technology
A digital booking platform with destination, city and attraction catalog pages. The company reports integrating large language models to automatically generate experience descriptions and to enhance discovery and personalized recommendations; it also offered virtual tours during the pandemic [0][1][3].
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer online distribution through destination-, city- and attraction-level landing pages that aggregate tours and activities, supported by supplier acquisition through a global sales and supply organization. The company also markets proprietary "Originals" products, which observers note frequently rank at the top of its search results [0][1][3][7].
Leisure travelers booking things to do in destinations, and, on the supply side, tour operators, activity providers and attractions seeking online distribution [3][4][5].
Geography
Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with offices in 14 countries as of October 2020. The marketplace covers destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Oceania, spanning more than 12,000 cities; travelers from over 170 countries have booked on the platform. The U.S. was identified in 2023 as a major growth market and a target for further expansion [0][1][3][4][5].
History
Sources give the founding date variously as 2009 (company press materials and executive bio) and 2008 (Arival) [4][5][7]. The company raised a $484 million round led by a consortium including the SoftBank Vision Fund in May 2019, launched its Originals branded tours in 2018, and saw revenue fall to zero for multiple consecutive quarters during the Covid-19 pandemic. It raised β¬114 million in convertible notes in October 2020, an β¬80 million revolving credit facility announced February 2021 (described by Arival as a $97 million facility secured in February), and acquired Versailles tour operator Guidatours in April 2021. Demand rebounded from Easter 2022, and in June 2023 the company announced a $194 million equity-and-debt round [3][4][7].
Risks & controversies
Industry coverage notes that GetYourGuide's move from distributor to operator β via Originals and the Guidatours acquisition β raises concerns among tour operators about competition from the platform itself and about Originals receiving preferential placement in search results ahead of third-party tours with more reviews. Rival OTAs may also be reluctant to list tours from operators owned by GetYourGuide. The business is exposed to travel-demand shocks: revenue was erased for multiple consecutive quarters during the Covid-19 pandemic [3][7].
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 6
launches, deals, and filings$85 million equity tranche led by Blue Pool Capital with existing investors KKR and Temasek; debt tranche led by UniCredit with BNP Paribas, Citibank and KfW. Funds earmarked for U.S. expansion and AI/product development.
$194M source β
GetYourGuide acquired Guidatours, a medium-sized guided-tour operator in Versailles, France and an existing Originals partner; tours were to be offered under GetYourGuide France. Per Dun & Bradstreet, Guidatours had 15 employees and $4.2 million revenue in 2018.
$484M source β
GetYourGuide introduced Originals, its own branded tours of popular attractions, contracting select local operators to run tours designed and branded by GetYourGuide.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- All Tours, Attractions & Activities by Destination | GetYourGuidegetyourguide.com Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Getyourguide do?
- Berlin-based online marketplace where travelers book tours, attraction tickets and activities from third-party operators.
- Who founded Getyourguide?
- Getyourguide was founded by Johannes Reck.
- Who are Getyourguide's investors?
- Getyourguide's investors include Atlantic, Atlantic Labs, Battery Ventures, Highland Europe, NGP Capital, PROfounders Capital, RPS Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund and 1 more.
- Where is Getyourguide headquartered?
- Getyourguide is headquartered in Berlin, DE.