GetYourGuide
 | |
Type of site | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Available in | 37 languages |
| Founded | 2009 in Zurich, Switzerland |
| Headquarters | , |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founders |
|
| Key people | Johannes Reck (CEO) Tao Tao (COO) |
| Industry | Tourism |
| Products | Online marketplace |
| Employees | 700+ |
| URL | www |
GetYourGuide, based in Berlin, is an online marketplace for tour guides, excursions, travel-related activities, and tickets to tourist attractions.[1][2] It has more than 150,000 offerings worldwide from more than 20,000 supply partners, some of which use the GetYourGuide branding.[3] In the third quarter of 2025, the company sold over 10 million tickets.[4]
Providers list their service on the platform and are charged a commission on sales.[5] The site features an online customer review system and operators are required to perform to certain standards.
History
[edit]On a trip to Beijing in 2009, Johannes Reck arrived a day early and had trouble navigating the city; his experience improved greatly after he was shown around by his friend and classmate at ETH Zurich, Tao Tao, and they sensed a market for local tour guides.[6][7] They developed a business plan for a peer-to-peer Internet platform that connected tourists with amateur guides. The plan was expanded and refined to an internet booking platform for professional tours and activities.[8] That year, they founded GetYourGuide.[9] Initially, the company was funded by friends and family members.[8] As a spin-off of ETH Zurich, GetYourGuide was initially headquartered in Zurich. It relocated its headquarters in 2012 to Berlin to raise venture capital.
In early January 2013, the company raised $14 million in a Series A round with investments from Spark Capital and Highland Capital Partners.[10] In late January 2013, it added $4.5 million in funding from investors including Kees Koolen.[11]
In April 2013, GetYourGuide acquired Gidsy, which had also been developing mobile apps and had a team of 12 developers.[12][13]
In July 2014, the company raised $25 million in a Series B round.[14]
In November 2015, the company raised $50 million in a Series C round.[15]
In October 2017, GetYourGuide opened an engineering office in Zurich.[16]
In November 2017, GetYourGuide raised a $75 million Series D funding round to expand in Asia and the Americas. It sold 5 million tickets that year, compared to 5 million sold in all years prior.[17]
In August 2018, GetYourGuide began selling tours under its brand name in partnership with operators that meet certain standards.[18]
In April 2019, GetYourGuide raised $484 million in a Series E round led by SoftBank Vision Fund at a valuation above $1 billion, making it a unicorn. It was one of the largest-ever funding rounds for a European startup.[19] By that time, the company had sold 25 million tickets since inception.[20]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company shifted to remote work.[21]
GetYourGuide started selling activities in the United States in 2021. It also began accepting Dogecoin for payment.[22]
In May 2023, the company raised $194 million at a $2 billion valuation.[23][24]
In October 2025, the company announced that it was profitable for the first time, it sold over 10 million tickets in the third quarter, and that it had €1 billion in sales in the past year.[4][25]
Controversies
[edit]In April 2025, the company was one of several companies fined by the Italian Competition Authority for profiting from the resale of tickets to the Colosseum and making it harder for tourists to buy tickets at face value.[26][27]
References
[edit]- ^ Williams, Greg (15 August 2011). "Europe's hottest startup capitals: Berlin". Wired.
- ^ Kolodny, Lora (7 January 2013). "GetYourGuide Finds You Leisure Activities at Your Travel Destination". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Kelso, Stirling (19 March 2024). "Wanna tour the McLaren Racing headquarters? This travel site could take you there". Fast Company.
- ^ a b Schulz, Bailey; Agarwal, Pranavi (21 October 2025). "GetYourGuide Says It's Profitable on $1 Billion+ in Sales: How it Stacks up in Experiences". Skift.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (1 June 2023). "TripAdvisor rival GetYourGuide nears $2 billion valuation as it raises fresh funds to invest in A.I." CNBC.
- ^ Donaldson, Ali (28 February 2025). "How This Travel Company Went From Bootstrapped". Inc.
- ^ Hoon, Yeoh Siew (30 October 2025). "Full circle: GetYourGuide comes home to Asia". Northstar Travel Group.
- ^ a b Knoller, Rasso (19 October 2018). "Zeig mir deine Welt" [Show me your world]. Forum Magazine (in German).
- ^ Bath, Dominik (3 September 2018). "Get your Guide plant neuen Campus in Berlin" [GetyourGuide is planning a new campus in Berlin]. Berliner Morgenpost (in German).
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (7 January 2013). "Online Holiday Events Booking Platform GetYourGuide Raises $14M Series A To Internationalize Content, Zero In On Mobile". TechCrunch.
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (30 January 2013). "GetYourGuide Gets $4.5M Series A Expansion, From Ex-Booking.com CEO (& Others), To Help It Scale Globally". TechCrunch.
- ^ Butcher, Mike (24 April 2013). "Deadpooling Gidsy Acquired By GetYourGuide In A Berlininsiders-deal". TechCrunch.
- ^ Butcher, Mike (24 April 2013). "Deadpooling Gidsy Acquired By GetYourGuide In A Berlin Insiders Deal". TechCrunch.
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (31 July 2014). "Holiday Events Booking Platform, GetYourGuide, Pulls In Another $25M To "Landgrab" New Markets". TechCrunch.
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (13 November 2015). "GetYourGuide Bags $50M To Grow Its Travel Activities Booking Platform". TechCrunch.
- ^ Imwinkelried, Daniel (31 October 2017). "Zürich-Berlin hin und zurück". Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (2 November 2017). "Battery Ventures leads $75M Series D in travel tours app GetYourGuide". TechCrunch.
- ^ O'Neill, Sean (18 June 2018). "GetYourGuide Will Market Some Tours and Activities Under Its Own Brand". Skift.
- ^ Lunden, Ingrid (16 May 2019). "GetYourGuide picks up $484M, passes 25M tickets sold through its tourism activity app". TechCrunch.
- ^ Lunden, Ingrid (16 May 2019). "GetYourGuide picks up $484M, passes 25M tickets sold through its tourism activity app". TechCrunch.
- ^ Panzarino, Matthew; Hinson, Joey (13 March 2020). "Three travel startups tell us how they're responding to the coronavirus crisis". TechCrunch.
- ^ Kiesnoski, Kenneth (29 June 2021). "Crypto-friendly travel site marks U.S. debut with dogecoin payment option". CNBC.
- ^ Lunden, Ingrid (31 May 2023). "GetYourGuide books $194M at a $2B valuation with travel experiences back in business". TechCrunch.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (1 June 2023). "TripAdvisor rival GetYourGuide nears $2 billion valuation as it raises fresh funds to invest in A.I." CNBC.
- ^ Bergen, Mark (21 October 2025). "Travel Site GetYourGuide Nears €1 Billion in Sales After Pandemic Slump". Bloomberg News.
- ^ Giuffrida, Angela (8 April 2025). "Main ticket seller and six tour companies fined £17m for Colosseum price-fixing". The Guardian.
- ^ Jones, Gavin (8 April 2025). "Italy fines tour operators almost 20 mln euros over Colosseum tickets hoarding". Reuters.