Stephen Oddo

About Me

Stephen is the co-founder of Walks, which began in 2009. During Walks’ early years, Stephen led up product development, web development and digital marketing. Much of the early success of the business was based on prolific blog and social media accounts. As Walks grew, Stephen utilized his other great passion, technology, to create a proprietary technology platform for operations and distribution. He hired and managed the early development teams, executing a vision for a completely self-sufficient tour operator, with the capacity to evolve into SAAS and to host multiple far-reaching supplier platforms.

With the addition of new markets and growth of the team, there was a huge need for strategic leadership, so in 2016, Stephen took on the role as CEO of Walks. In that role, he has continued his involvement with product, marketing, and technology but also pivoted to spend much more time in finance, corporate structure, and strategic partnerships. In addition, he spent much of his time in new business development, leveraging the stature of Walks inside the tours & activities industry, to initiate innovative products and collaborations. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Stephen responded by pivoting the business to virtual tours. Walks was acquired by City Experiences, ex-Hornblower Group, in March 2021. Stephen is a regular speaker at leading industry conferences such as Arival, WTM, and ITB; a contributor to major industry publications such as Skift; and is regularly called on to consult with travel publications. He was featured in a National Geographic documentary about traveling smart in Rome that also aired on Netflix.