GetYourGuide Grabs $134 Million Loan for Experiences Bookings: Travel Startup Funding This Week

This week, travel startups announced more than $167 million in funding. >>GetYourGuide, the experiences booking agency, has raised a $134 million (€114 million) convertible debt note. All investors including largest backer Softbank participated, and the round added a new investor, Searchlight. "The loan will convert into equity at the next round or an initial public offering," said a spokesperson for the Berlin-based company. The company announced the move a couple of weeks after announcing layoffs of 100 workers. >>The Wanderlust Group, a startup that helps boaters reserve docks via the booking sites Dockwa and Marinas.com, has raised $14.2 million in a Series B funding round. Allen & Company, Alaris Family Office, and several other individual and family offices participated. Since launching online bookings in 2015, the company has helped more than 250,000 boaters reserve time and space at more than 15,000 marinas. A 2019 study from the National Marine Manufacturers Association found that the recreational boating industry contributes an estimated $170.3 billion to the U.S. economy. But much of the outdoor sector remains a pen-and-paper business, hinting at a broad opportunity, the company said.

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>>Vntrip, an online travel agency in Vietnam, has raised $7 million from undisclosed investors in an extension of a $10 million series B round of funding, the company told Tech in Asia. Vntrip is cagey about how much it has raised, but media reports said the startup had raised a total of $20 million since its founding in 2014. The agency focuses on domestic travel. Given that the pandemic is