GetYourGuide CEO: U.S. and Europe Booking Volumes “Exploded”

Driven by domestic bookings, with international catching up, tours and activities sales through GetYourGuide are “double to triple” 2019 levels, Johannes Reck said

— Arival
Reading Time: 2 minutes 41 seconds

Experience bookings in the U.S. and Europe have “exploded”, according to GetYourGuide CEO Johannes Reck.

Speaking at Arival | Activate in Berlin, Reck said that bookings made through GetYourGuide are “now double to triple of pre-Covid numbers”.

Asia has not yet recovered, Reck said, while long-haul travel is “catching up”.

At the start of 2022, GetYourGuide was down by 20% on 2019 because of the uncertainty caused by the Omicron variant.

Reck said: “Then the miracle happened. First, the U.S. and then all of Europe suddenly exploded. Today, basically in all of the major geos that we operate, we are now double to triple our pre-Covid numbers.

Arival 360 | SAN DIEGO 2024

30 September – 3 October 2024

Insider Pro Access Members Save 20%

THE event of the year for solutions-focused In-Destination Experience
creators and sellers

Save up to $740 with the Early Bird ticket

Learn More

“Long-haul is also catching up and much faster than I anticipated. But first and foremost, it’s the U.S. and Europe. Asia has not recovered. 

“What we can see in the numbers is that destinations like Bali are slowly coming back. But Paris is two and a half [times] of what it used to be for us. Rome, Venice — all of the major [European] cities have recovered.”

Domestic Travel and Long-Tail Products Driving Recovery

GetYourGuide CEO: U.S. and Europe Booking Volumes “Exploded” Arival Ben Finch
“Now we’re much more domestic, much more regional, much more long-tail and that comes on top of that rebound,” Reck told Arival | Activate in Berlin — Arival

GetYourGuide moved to serve local consumers with long-tail products during the pandemic. Previously, it had focused on big-ticket experiences and international travel.

Reck said that the online travel agency will maintain its focus on these areas, saying that the tours and attractions recovery was being driven by domestic tourism.

“Now we’re much more domestic, much more regional, much more long-tail and that comes on top of that rebound,” he said.

“I’m 100% sure it will stay. Not only the travel patterns, but even more so if you peel the onion one layer deeper. Why are we seeing this tremendous recovery?

“I think there are three principal reasons for it. Number one is there’s a ton of pent-up demand now. Consumers can’t wait to get out and experience the world and go and do things. Number two, and I think we all still underestimate this. There’s a tremendous shift towards digital that is underway right now.

Arival 360 | SAN DIEGO 2024

30 September – 3 October 2024

Insider Pro Access Members Save 20%

THE event of the year for solutions-focused In-Destination Experience
creators and sellers

Save up to $740 with the Early Bird ticket

Learn More

“I think the third big tailwind is one that people want to do more experiences. Experiences is one of the biggest and fastest growing industries in travel now. 

“We are currently having a catch up. I think we just have tremendous tailwinds broadly in our industry. That is now being spilled over from the big cities where it’s very logical to book things to do, to smaller cities where maybe there weren’t as many operators before and maybe people weren’t booking them online.”

Reck said that domestic bookings spiked during the pandemic and GetYourGuide expanded supply in regional locations.

“We are very, very dedicated to building out that richness and inventory in tier two and tier three destinations,” Reck said.

Reck also took questions on whether GetYourGuide would move into the metaverse, saying: “I’m much more about the real world,” what the OTA’s plans are for sustainability, on which there is more work to be done, and how a possible recession might affect travel because: “I think this is a core desire of people now that we have reopened as an economy.”

GET ON THE LIST!

Sign up to receive insights tailored for the in-destination industry as well as updates on Arival.

Sign Up

trending

already a member?

Lost your password?

NEED TO REGISTER?

Become an Arival Insider
THE ARIVAL INSIDER PRO ACCESS MEMBERSHIP; YOU GET ALL THIS TO HELP YOU ADVANCE YOUR BUSINESS.

Included in Free Membership

Included in Arival Pro Membership

The Arival on-demand video library archive
Access to the entire library of over 150 video sessions and webinars

Arival.guides
Short, digestible research & trends reports delivering insights into our industry, such as The Tour Operator Outlook for 2021.

Arival.travel articles
Topical articles about marketing, tech, operator business and operator stories in all areas of tours, activities & attractions & experiences

Job board access
Find a job from our regular listings, post a resume to the talent network and learn strategies from the job resources articles

New webinars
Helpful, instructional sessions covering subjects such as Mastering Facebook Ads, Grow Your Business and How To Work With OTAs — topics to help advance your business.

Discounts on all Arival in-person events
20% Discount on all Arival in-person events (save up to $300)* based on business type

Arival ProShield – Insurance program
Access to tailored insurance solutions by Granite Insurance is available exclusively for Arival Insider Pro Access Members. Insider Pro Access Members also have access to a suite of resources from Granite Insurance including templates, forms and other informative documents.

Insiders Pro Access member exclusive webinars
Paid membership-only webinars to deepen your understanding of important industry topics.

Job postings & talent directory
Post jobs & connect with candidates most applicable to your business.

Private roundtables to connect, learn and engage
Small, focused and intimate discussions exclusive to Arival Insider Pro Access members.

Full access to Arival’s library of in-depth reports
Up to date, deep analysis of tourism topics ranging from Self-guided Tours to Sales & Distribution Trends and Outlooks, based on the data that defines the industry.

The latest on-demand videos
Over 350+ on-demand videos featuring hot topics in tours, activities & attractions

Insider discounts in digital marketing, tech, e-learning, and more
Save money on additional tools, services and learnings you need to run your business. Exclusive to paid members.

Membership Overview
ARIVAL CODE OF CONDUCT​
CONFERENCES AND COMMUNITY SPACES​

At Arival, we believe travel can make the world a better place. Our mission is to establish and inspire a diverse community of individuals and companies in the In-destination Industry by providing opportunities to gain insight, share knowledge and build connections. To make it possible for true collaboration, creativity, innovation, and idea exchange to thrive, we are committed to facilitating a welcoming and respectful community for all. This Conference Code of Conduct shares our community expectations and applies to all attendees, employees, exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and other participants at Arival- produced and sponsored events. We empower all participants in our community to actively engage in creating a friendly, inclusive and safe environment for all.

Arival’s core values include the following, and create an expectation for conduct at our events and in online community spaces:

We demonstrate a deep respect for human beings inside and outside our company and for the communities in which they live.
We value integrity and strive to consistently interact with others in ways that are authentic, ethical, and fair.
We are dedicated to transparency, committing to clear, open and honest communication.
We actively pursue and advocate for inclusion, diversity and representation of varying cultural backgrounds, perspectives and ideas

Arival welcomes people from all cultural backgrounds, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender (including pregnancy, perceived pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity, religion (including religious dress and grooming), marital status, domestic partner status, genetic information, age, national origin or ancestry, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Accordingly, participants must refrain from displaying any demeaning, harassing, aggressive, or intimidating behavior or materials that would interfere with others’ experience and participation in our community.

If you witness or are subjected to inappropriate or disruptive behavior or have any other concerns, notify an Arival staff member as soon as possible.

Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Arival reserves the right to refuse entry to or remove any party from any event or community space at any time when participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder the event or enjoyment of the event by other participants. All determinations are at the sole discretion of Arival, and the decision of the Arival team will be final. Severe breaches of this Conference Code of Conduct may result in disqualification from participating in future events. Individuals expelled due to violating this Conference Code of Conduct will not be eligible for a refund or other consolation.

If you have questions regarding this Conference Code of Conduct or its implementation, please contact us at [email protected].