How to build a website like GetYourGuide

Founded by classmates Johannes Reck and Tao Tao in 2009, GetYourGuide has advanced significantly to become a popular internet booking platform.

Initially built to help tourists effectively navigate a foreign city by connecting them with amateur guides, the Berlin-based company has expanded to allow travelers to book professional tours and activities.

With a defined goal on the part of the founders to cause a revolutionary change in the world of travel, the company currently offers more than 60,000 products worldwide in 150 countries, 22 languages, and 40 currencies. It makes sense that the company is presently valued at nearly $2 billion.

Online marketplaces are great for sellers as they offer a venue to reach a broader audience, boost sales, and help reduce marketing costs. Buyers gain from shopping at their convenience, from any location, accessing a vast array of products, and enjoying competitive prices. Marketplace owners profit from transaction charges, increased traffic, and a varied product selection---this creates a win-win situation for all the parties involved.

The success of the online marketplace GetYourGuide can be attributed to several key factors. Firstly, the platform offers a wide range of activities and experiences, catering to the diverse interests and preferences of travelers. This extensive selection ensures something for everyone, attracting a large customer base.

Additionally, GetYourGuide provides a user-friendly interface and a seamless booking process, making it convenient and enjoyable for users to browse and book activities. The platform also prioritizes customer satisfaction by offering reliable customer support and listing only safe and high-quality experiences. These factors, combined, have contributed to the success of GetYourGuide, making it a top choice for booking travel experiences online.

The success of the online marketplace GetYourGuide can be attributed to several key factors. Firstly, the platform offers a wide range of activities and experiences, catering to diverse interests and preferences of travelers. This extensive selection ensures that there is something for everyone, attracting a large customer base. Additionally, GetYourGuide provides a user-friendly interface and seamless booking process, making it convenient for users to browse and book activities. The platform also prioritizes customer satisfaction by offering reliable customer support and ensuring the quality and safety of the experiences listed. These factors combined have contributed to the success of GetYourGuide as a leading online marketplace for travel experiences.

For buyers, a marketplace like GetYourGuide offers a seamless experience to explore and book various travel activities.

Users can browse multiple options, read detailed descriptions, and view authentic reviews from fellow travelers. With a simple booking process and secure payment options, buyers can easily plan and reserve their desired experiences, ensuring a hassle-free and enjoyable trip.

For sellers, a marketplace like GetYourGuide offers a platform to showcase their unique experiences and services to a global audience.

They can create listings, set their prices, and manage availability. The marketplace handles marketing, customer support, and secure payments, allowing sellers to focus on delivering exceptional experiences and expanding their customer base.

The business model of GetYourGuide is mainly a commission-based system---this means the platform takes a 20-30% commission fee off the total value of each transaction. This percentage is taken from suppliers on every booking made through the marketplace.

GetYourGuide generates revenue through various other channels too. It also offers various marketing services to its suppliers, like featured listings and ads, to generate additional revenue.

Furthermore, the platform may also earn revenue from partnerships and mutual collaborations with other travel-related companies, where they receive a share of the earnings from referrals or cross-promotions.

In essence, GetYourGuide generates revenue by ensuring a smooth and easy customer booking experience and providing value-added services to its suppliers in exchange for a commission and other fees.

The most important functionality of a marketplace like GetYourGuide is to connect travelers with a wide range of activities, tours, and experiences in various destinations. This includes:

1. Comprehensive Listings: The marketplace should have a vast and diverse selection of activities and tours available for travelers to choose from. This can include sightseeing tours, adventure activities, cultural experiences, and more.

2. User Reviews and Ratings: The marketplace should provide user-generated reviews and ratings for each activity, allowing travelers to make informed decisions based on the experiences of others.

3. Booking and Payment System: A marketplace should have a secure and user-friendly booking and payment system that allows travelers to easily reserve and pay for their chosen activities.

4. Availability and Real-Time Updates: It is crucial for the marketplace to display accurate availability and real-time updates for each activity, ensuring that travelers can book activities that are currently available.

5. Customer Support: A marketplace should offer reliable customer support to assist travelers with any queries, issues, or changes to their bookings.

6. Mobile-Friendly Interface: With the increasing use of mobile devices, a marketplace should have a mobile-friendly interface or a dedicated mobile app to provide a seamless booking experience for travelers on the go.

7. Local Expertise: The marketplace should collaborate with local tour operators and guides to offer authentic and high-quality experiences, ensuring that travelers have access to knowledgeable and experienced professionals.

8. Customization and Personalization: The marketplace should allow travelers to customize their itineraries and preferences, providing options for tailored experiences based on their interests, group size, and other specific requirements.

9. Transparent Pricing: The marketplace should display clear and transparent pricing for each activity, including any additional fees or charges, to avoid any surprises for travelers during the booking process.

10. Trust and Safety: A marketplace should prioritize the safety and security of travelers by partnering with reputable and licensed tour operators, ensuring that all activities comply with safety standards and regulations.

Overall, the essential functionality of a marketplace like GetYourGuide is to provide a user-friendly platform that connects travelers with a wide range of activities while ensuring transparency, reliability, and a seamless booking experience.

Building a booming alternative marketplace to GetYourGuide can initially seem daunting, but even Rome wasn't built in a day. So you don't have to replicate every aspect of the website from the start.

You can start with the core elements that get your marketplace running, focus on providing value to a specific niche and few early adopters, and gradually expand to create a solid base. Here's a roadmap to help guide that journey:

• Conduct thorough market research to identify gaps and opportunities in the travel and tourism industry.

• Develop a user-friendly and visually appealing website or mobile application with a seamless booking process.

• Offer a wide range of unique and diverse travel experiences, including popular tourist attractions and not-so-popular scenic routes/ destinations.

• Collaborate with local tour operators and guides to ensure high-quality and authentic experiences for customers.

• Implement a robust review and rating system to build trust and credibility among users.

• Provide competitive pricing and flexible cancellation policies to attract customers.

• Offer personalized recommendations and tailored itineraries based on user preferences and travel history.

• Invest in effective marketing strategies to reach a wider audience, including social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and search engine optimization.

• Provide excellent customer support through multiple channels, such as live chat, email, and phone, to address any queries or concerns promptly.

• Continuously innovate and update the platform with new features and technologies to stay ahead of the competition and meet evolving customer needs.

Developing a functional platform like GetYourGuide from scratch would require significant investment in time, resources, and expertise.

The cost would depend on various factors, like the complexity of the features, the number of platforms supported, the integration of third-party services, and the scale of the application.

Additionally, expenses include development, design, testing, infrastructure, marketing, and ongoing website maintenance.

Considering these factors, it isn't easy to provide an exact cost estimate, but it could range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the scope and scale of the project.

1. Viator: Viator is a significant competitor to GetYourGuide, offering a similar online marketplace for booking tours and activities. While both platforms have a wide range of options and global coverage, Viator has a more extensive inventory of tours and activities available in popular tourist destinations. However, GetYourGuide stands out with its user-friendly interface and innovative features like instant booking and mobile ticketing.

2. TripAdvisor Experiences: As a leading travel platform, TripAdvisor Experiences competes with GetYourGuide by offering many tours and activities worldwide. While both platforms provide user reviews and ratings, GetYourGuide focuses more on curated experiences and personalized recommendations, making it easier for travelers to find unique and off-the-beaten-path activities. TripAdvisor Experiences, on the other hand, benefits from its extensive user base and integration with other TripAdvisor services.

3. Klook: Klook is another strong competitor to GetYourGuide, particularly in the Asian market. While both platforms offer a wide range of activities and experiences, Klook differentiates itself by providing exclusive deals and discounts, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious travelers. GetYourGuide, however, excels in customer service and responsiveness, ensuring a seamless booking experience and reliable support throughout the journey.

4. Airbnb Experiences: Airbnb Experiences is a formidable competitor to GetYourGuide, leveraging its vast network of hosts to offer unique and immersive activities. While both platforms focus on providing authentic local experiences, Airbnb Experiences stands out by offering activities hosted by locals in their own homes or neighborhoods. GetYourGuide, on the other hand, provides a more diverse range of activities and has a more substantial presence in popular tourist destinations.

5. Expedia Local Expert: Expedia Local Expert competes with GetYourGuide by offering a comprehensive range of tours, activities, and attractions worldwide. While both platforms provide a similar booking experience, GetYourGuide differentiates itself by offering a more curated selection of activities and a user-friendly interface. Expedia Local Expert, however, benefits from its integration with the broader Expedia ecosystem, allowing travelers to easily combine flights, accommodations, and activities in one booking.

Developing a marketplace like GetYourGuide is a significant, costly endeavor. However, there are now numerous cost-effective methods to create a marketplace.

The option you select depends on the following:

• The desired features for your marketplace

• Your technical abilities (or those of your team)

• Your budget

• The available time.

The various methods to build a marketplace include:

• Utilizing WordPress and plugins

• Building on existing open-source software

• Combining no-code tools

• Using a dedicated no-code marketplace SaaS tool

• Developing on an API-based marketplace SaaS tool

In addition to considering your skills and budget, it's crucial to prioritize learning speed. Launching your GetYourGuide-style platform quickly enables rapid audience understanding. These insights help create a platform that users prefer over other solutions.

Sharetribe's marketplace software is designed with this iterative learning process in mind. We assist in launching a platform similar to GetYourGuide in just one day without any coding.

Use the two-week-long free trial of Sharetribe's Build plan to get your marketplace ready and up-to-speed. When you're happy with your marketplace, you can subscribe to go live.

Once launched, you can learn what additional features and functionality your platform requires to cater to your audience. You may want to completely change the design and workflow, integrate third-party services, or develop a mobile app. With Sharetribe, you can easily customize these changes and more, either independently or with assistance from our Expert partners.

At Sharetribe, we have a decade of experience building marketplaces. Our expertise is available through our content resources, regardless of your chosen platform-building approach.

Best of luck with your GetYourGuide-style business!

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