STRIDE TRAVEL ANNOUNCES FUNDING ROUND. LAUNCHES AS THE LARGEST SEARCH & REVIEWS SITE FOR MULTI-DAY GUIDED TOURS & RIVER CRUISES
TRAVELERS SEARCH & COMPARE THOUSANDS OF TRIPS WORLDWIDE FROM HUNDREDS OF TOUR OPERATORS, BOOKING DIRECT FOR BEST SERVICE & SAVINGS.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—February 23, 2016 - Today, Travelstride announced the public launch of its online marketplace for guided tours and organized travel. Stride is the first site to enable users to search and read reviews for all pre-planned trips. This includes traditional group tours, private guided trips, safaris, independent adventure packages, and small ship cruises. It is currently the most comprehensive search engine for all types of ‘pre-planned’ active vacations, offering the most extensive selection of tour operators and small ship cruise lines.
Stride is an investor-backed startup headquartered in San Francisco, CA.
The company recently closed a Seed investment round, led by TDG Ventures and including travel industry veterans Adam Goldstein, Co-founder/CEO of Hipmunk, John Owen, Co-founder of JetBlue Airways, Baris Gultekin, Co-founder of Google Now, and others.
Hundreds of tour companies - thousands of guided trips & river cruises
Focusing on the rapidly expanding guided tour, adventure travel and river cruise markets, Stride provides leisure travelers with an easy ‘one-stop shop’ resource for choosing the perfect pre-planned trip. Travelers can search and compare thousands of group tour and organized vacation options from over 400 global travel providers. They can also read credible reviews from a community of travelers and experts, compare itineraries, and book directly with a preferred travel supplier. Stride has commercial agreements with many companies - from the largest global brands like Intrepid Travel and Explore Worldwide to smaller specialized operators like Rothschild Safaris and Pacific Delight Tours.
Multi-day tour reviews platform proves beneficial for suppliers and consumers
“Today’s consumers expect to be able to read reviews and easily compare options on any major purchase. Adventurous, international vacations are no exception,” said Gavin Delany, Stride’s Co-founder & CEO. “Yet today, the major travel review websites do not have a category for reviews on multi-day tours and operators. There are many frustrated travelers and tour operators who want a third party to provide this service and Stride is filling this void. Stride is uniquely positioned as a third party to provide credible reviews and ratings that validate suppliers’ strengths and differentiation.”
Delivering customers and building supplier brands
Tour operators view Stride as a unique marketing distribution channel. Unlike online travel agencies and packagers, Stride’s platform highlights travel brands rather than hiding them. Delany adds “Stride’s open business model aligns our interests with those of operators and travelers by transparently matching travelers with their perfect tour company.” Sarah Fazendin, Director of Business Development at leading safari outfitter Rothschild Safaris says, “We decided to work with Stride because their business model has no up-front costs and provides significant upside in driving new customers. We’re excited to be an early partner.”
Jared Alster, Stride’s Co-Founder & VP of Marketing says, “I experienced first hand the challenges of building a tour operator brand in today’s fragmented digital world. Our platform provides value to both large and small operators by helping them to efficiently acquire new customers, while enhancing their overall brand awareness and perception.”
Striding into 2016 with additional resources
Stride is using the recently raised financing to expand the team, add more tour operators and trips to the site, and improve travelers’ ability to find their perfect pre-planned trip.
ENDS
About Travelstride
Stride enables travelers of all stripes to explore the world with confidence. It is the first search and reviews site for all experiential pre-planned trips - multi day guided tours, adventure travel packages, and small ship and river cruises. Stride offers the most comprehensive variety of trips on every continent from over 400 leading and local tour operators. Users can pick their perfect guided trip with simplicity and confidence via trustworthy reviews and modern search and comparison tools. Stride is based in San Francisco with staff and Destination Experts around the globe.
