Online travel agency platforms, or OTAs, are often criticized for driving commoditization—turning unique experiences into products that compete mainly on price. In GetYourGuide’s latest fall release, the Berlin-based OTA attempts to push back against that critique, placing an emphasis on differentiation and quality, and focusing on new and enhanced tools for operators to highlight what makes their experiences unique.
According to Co-founder and COO Tao Tao, the goal is to help operators grow bookings by standing out, rather than blending into a “sea of sameness.” This shift comes through a combination of customer review enhancements, operational improvements, and expansion into new categories — including support for multi-day tour itineraries, and a greater emphasis on events.
Customer Reviews — and Human Connection — as Key Differentiators
At the center of GetYourGuide’s product updates is a renewed focus on customer reviews. AI-powered review summaries and related recommendations allow operators to quickly understand what travelers value most, according to Tao. The expanded suite also includes custom links and a QR code generator to make collecting reviews easier, and an “AI Reply Optimizer” to assist operators with responding to reviews.
Tao emphasizes that in a market where it’s easy to launch new experiences, it is the quality of the human experience that truly differentiates one operator from another. Guides are the most cited reasons for leaving a five-star review, GetYourGuide’s analysis shows.
“In an AI driven world where it’s so easy to create new things, it’s the quality of that human connection of what customers experience on the trip and on the experience that truly matters,” says Tao.
27-29 April 2026
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Operational Improvements & Traveler Discovery Enhancements
GetYourGuide has also made updates designed to assist operators with day-to-day management of listings and logistics burden on operators, Tao says. The product wizard now shows a “what you see is what the customer sees” view, streamlining listing edits, for example. New prescheduled pickup capabilities and the recently launched “Pickup Planner” are also intended to help operators automate tour pickup logistics.
Additional updates aim to enhance traveler discovery, with redesigned “activity cards” that offer a streamlined view for easier comparison and highlight customer reviews. “Because whatever we think customers may love or what the operators say customers love, nothing beats what customers actually say that they love, right?” says Tao. These features are complemented by new AI-powered filters and an enhanced mobile search.
Category Expansion: Multi-Day Tours, Shows and Events
The platform is also pushing into multi-day tours, enabling enhanced itineraries for multi-day trips, as well as shows and events, launching with 60 West End offerings, from The Lion King to Les Misérables. This move signals a broader strategy to diversify beyond traditional tours and capture travelers looking to immerse themselves in longer trips, or in cultural and event-based experiences. For operators, it opens another avenue for differentiation in a crowded market.
Operators Respond
With the updates highlighting a focus on differentiation and quality, as well as an emphasis on the human element amid AI-driven development, reception among operators at the event was mostly positive. While many spoke highly of their partnerships with GetYourGuide and their appreciation of the company’s responsiveness to feedback, these were operators who had chosen to attend the GetYourGuide event.
However, even among this mostly-friendly-to-GetYourGuide crowd, some operators expressed frustration (once the camera was turned off) that the changes did not go far enough in addressing persistent concerns, such as pricing pressure, commission structures, copycat product listings, or the challenges smaller operators have getting more visibility on the platform.
“You may hear a lot of ideas and a lot of things happening, but you have to keep a small basket,” said Konstantinos Papagiannopoulos from Athens Walking Tours, referring to a Greek proverb advising a cautious approach to overly positive promises.
Operator Takeaway
Operators who focus on creating unique, memorable experiences and leverage the tools available—while keeping in mind their limitations—are likely to benefit the most from GetYourGuide’s latest product update. At the same time, the release is a reminder that OTAs remain complex ecosystems, and standing out on GetYourGuide’s platform, as with any OTA platform, requires both carefully crafting product listings and designing unique, quality customer experiences. Learn more about working with, and standing out on, OTAs here.
This writer’s trip to the 2025 Unlocked Summit event was sponsored by GetYourGuide
Dig Deeper with Arival
Many of the topics discussed in this interview — from working with OTAs, to AI’s impact on search and discovery, to designing memorable experiences — were top themes of the recent AI Forum for Destination Experiences and Arival 360 | Washington DC events. Stay tuned for more highlights and coverage of those events — get on the newsletter list to make sure you don’t miss out! Also, the full interview with Tao Tao will be available on a future episode of The Best Part of Travel podcast.
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