Swiss Startup Viatu Raises $1 Million to Revolutionize Sustainable Travel Booking

Swiss startup Viatu secures $1M for its sustainable travel booking platform, simplifying the process and reshaping modern travel.

Swiss travel tech startup Viatu has successfully raised $1 million (€906k) in funding for its innovative platform that aims to revolutionize the booking process for sustainable travel and adventures. With this new investment, Viatu plans to expand its offerings and continue reshaping the landscape of modern travel.

Viatu is addressing the changing dynamics of the travel industry, where personalization, accessibility, and sustainability have become significant influencers. According to reports, people spend an average of more than 10 hours searching and booking their holidays, with multi-locational trips taking even longer. Recognizing the complexities and inefficiencies of the current process, Viatu has developed a platform that simplifies the booking of multi-day sustainable adventures.

The $1 million funding round was led by Ndoto LLC, with participation from ASI Reisen and notable angels, including Loic Amado, founder of Ambo Ventures and Kenyan-based lodge Emboo Camp. Viatu's platform offers a data-driven and customizable trip builder, providing live pricing and availability through API plug-ins. The goal is to give travelers greater control, ownership, and transparency over their adventures.

Bárbara Buchel, Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer at Viatu, explains the platform's mission: "Viatu aims to transform a process which could take up to two weeks, either individually or through a travel agent, into something that will take minutes." Buchel shares an example of a customer who had their flight canceled to Costa Rica but was able to plan and book an entirely new two-week trip to Namibia within an hour using Viatu.

Viatu's platform enables users to book every aspect of their itinerary, including accommodation, experiences, and car rental, all through a single platform. The company claims that its trip builder can reduce the searching and booking process from weeks to minutes, making trip planning a fast and transparent experience.

Apart from simplifying the booking process, Viatu also focuses on sustainability. The company exclusively offers destinations with sound environmental, social, and economic credentials that align with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's criteria. Viatu partners with service providers scored using the Green Globe International Standard for Sustainable Tourism metrics. The platform also integrates with SQUAKE, an offsetting API that calculates precise carbon emissions for activities, allowing users to make climate contributions and purchase carbon credits.

Viatu specializes in trips to sub-Saharan African destinations, such as Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda, and South Africa, offering a range of experiences like eco-luxury getaways and wildlife encounters. By providing comprehensive information and making unusual trips more accessible, Viatu aims to cater to the social media generation's desire for unique travel experiences.

"We created Viatu to take the guesswork and extensive manual labor out of booking sustainable travel and empower travelers to become an active force in enriching local environments, economies, and communities," says a Viatu representative. The additional funding will support further platform development, making adventure holiday bookings as easy as ordering a taxi or takeaway.

With its user-friendly platform and commitment to sustainability, Viatu is poised to disrupt the travel industry and inspire travelers to explore the world responsibly.

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