GetYourGuide’s New $484 Million Infusion May Force Consolidation in Travel Experiences
Photo Credit: Offers experiences like this dune buggy ride through the desert. GetYourGuide
Skift Take
SoftBank has upended the sales of tours and attractions by investing record-breaking sums in GetYourGuide and Klook. That's boosted valuations to such lofty levels that it may leave only a few options: Merge or go public.
Interest in so-called travel experiences hit a new high on Thursday when GetYourGuide announced it had raised $484 million in new financing led by venture capital giant SoftBank Vision Fund, the largest ever for the travel sector.
The nearly $100 billion Vision Fund's stake in the Berlin-based startup is notable beyond its size, raising speculation about potential consolidation in the experiences sector or the possibility of IPOs.
Vision Fund in April revealed it had led a $225 million investment in GetYourGuide's Hong Kong-based rival, Klook. None of the companies have revealed valuations.
"Both GetYourGuide and Klook have raised sums that would suggest their respective valuations would be north of $2 billion," said Olan O'Sullivan, CEO of Trekksoft, a Swiss-based provider of tour operator booking software.
The market leader in attractions sales remains TripAdvisor via its TripAdvisor Experiences and Viator brands. In 2014, TripAdvisor paid about $200 million to acquire Vi
