Vancouver’s ToursByLocals announced today it has secured a $33 million investment from Austin, Texas-based investment firm Tritium Partners.
Founded in 2008, TourByLocals has bootstrapped itself to become the world’s leading online marketplace for private tours. Tritium is an investor in RVshare, and its founders previously led investments in vacation rental giant HomeAway.
ToursByLocals will use the investment to accelerate its already rapid growth, focusing on enhancements in user experience, technology, marketing and hiring more top-tier talent.
ToursByLocals provides travelers with highly curated and customizable private tour experiences globally; it competes in the tours and activities market, which is the fastest growing segment of the global tourism and travel industry.
With more than 4,100 tour guides in over 160 countries, ToursByLocals offers premium tour experiences in popular destinations like Rome, Barcelona, Paris, and London or places as off the beaten track as Windhoek, Namibia or Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.
“A private tour with a local guide is the best way to experience a destination. Since our founding, we’ve focused on creating truly memorable private tour experiences for travelers, while helping local tour guides offer customizable tours in over 1,000 destinations globally,” said Paul Melhus, CEO and co-Founder of ToursByLocals.
“We are excited to partner with Tritium. In addition to growth capital, we value the strategic advice offered by both the Tritium team and its network of experienced marketplace executives, as we continue to scale up our operations as a leading online travel marketplace.”