GetYourGuide's Billion-Dollar Bet on the End of Spontaneous Travel

BERLIN, GERMANY – March 25, 2026 – In a bold challenge to one of the travel industry's most cherished narratives, online experiences marketplace GetYourGuide today launched a global brand campaign that champions the meticulous planner over the freewheeling wanderer. The campaign, titled "Book Forward to It," argues that the most magical, spontaneous-feeling travel moments are not happy accidents but the direct result of thoughtful preparation.

This strategic pivot away from the romance of serendipity comes as the company rides a wave of unprecedented financial success, having achieved profitability and surpassed €1 billion in revenue in 2025. By investing in a message that celebrates preparation, GetYourGuide is making a calculated bet that it can reframe how travelers think about their journeys and solidify its position in an increasingly competitive market.

The Planner's Gambit: Debunking Travel's Spontaneity Myth

The integrated campaign, developed with creative agency Preacher, is rolling out across the US, UK, France, and Germany. It features a series of films showcasing real travelers—not actors—immersed in experiences like a Roman pasta workshop or a Spanish coastal cruise. Each vignette rewinds to reveal the moment the experience was booked on the GetYourGuide app, underscoring the idea that the planning itself is the first step of the adventure.

“This campaign is about a simple truth: the magic of travel isn't random,” said Anne Wallin, Director of Creative Marketing at GetYourGuide, in the company's announcement. “'Book Forward to It' celebrates the planners, the people who do the work upfront so they can be fully present in the moments that matter.”

This message directly confronts decades of travel marketing that has sold the fantasy of the lucky detour or the stumbled-upon gem. GetYourGuide's premise is built on its own survey data suggesting over 80% of travelers are perpetually planning their next trip. The campaign gives these individuals permission to embrace their inner organizer.

“So many travel campaigns are about the destination. GetYourGuide is all about the doing,” added Seth Gaffney, Co-Founder at Preacher. “This campaign doesn’t just encourage people to book, it also shines a spotlight on those who made incredible moments happen.”

However, the notion of celebrating planning runs counter to some data on traveler self-perception. A 2022 Skyscanner study, for instance, found 77% of respondents identified as spontaneous travelers. Yet, psychological analyses of travel suggest a balance is key; while spontaneity can boost happiness, planning is crucial for reducing stress and securing access to high-demand attractions. GetYourGuide's campaign cleverly attempts to resolve this tension by suggesting that good planning is what enables the feeling of in-the-moment freedom.

From Growth to Dominance: The Financial Engine Behind the Message

This confident marketing push is not a shot in the dark; it is built on a foundation of remarkable financial strength. In 2025, GetYourGuide became the first experiences platform to cross several key thresholds, booking 33 million experiences, achieving profitability on an adjusted EBITDA basis, and generating over €1 billion in revenue.

These figures, confirmed by CEO Johannes Reck in late 2025, signal a company moving from a high-growth phase into a new era of market leadership. The "Book Forward to It" campaign can be seen as a strategic move to consolidate that leadership by creating a powerful brand identity that differentiates it from key competitors like Viator, a TripAdvisor subsidiary, and Klook, which is particularly strong in Asia. While competitors often focus on the breadth of their listings or price, GetYourGuide is now vying for ownership of the philosophy of modern travel.

The global travel market remains robust, with a forecasted 5% growth in 2026 despite economic pressures. Consumers are prioritizing experiences over goods, a trend that directly benefits platforms like GetYourGuide. By aligning its brand with the deliberate, intentional traveler, the company is targeting a core demographic that plans and books activities, which are often the central focus of a trip.

Engineering Serendipity: The Tech Behind Intentional Travel

GetYourGuide's new message is backed by a significant and ongoing investment in the technology to make planning smarter, faster, and more personalized. The company is not just telling travelers to plan; it is building the tools to make that planning seamless.

A clear signal of this commitment was the recent appointment of Rob Rekrutiak as Chief Product Officer in early March 2026. Rekrutiak, a veteran of product leadership at Google, Lyft, and Gojek, was hired to spearhead AI-led platform innovation. His mandate is to transform the platform into an indispensable tool for travelers, from the initial spark of an idea through the in-destination experience.

This strategy leans heavily on artificial intelligence. The company has already invested heavily in the space—including a reported $194 million in 2023 for AI and large language model tools—and recently launched a GetYourGuide app for ChatGPT. This aligns with a massive industry shift, where AI is rapidly moving from a novelty to a core component of travel planning. Recent data from late 2025 shows that over half of active U.S. travelers have used AI for their journeys, a number driven largely by millennials.

AI-powered tools promise to automate itinerary creation, predict pricing, and provide hyper-personalized recommendations based on user behavior. By embracing this technology, GetYourGuide aims to eliminate the friction of planning, thereby making it a more appealing and integral part of the travel process. The ultimate goal is to evolve from a simple booking engine into a comprehensive travel companion, using technology to ensure that the moments travelers 'book forward to' live up to their expectations.