Amsterdam-based ticketing start-up Tiqets has secured €54m ($60m/£47m) in a Series C funding round led by accommodation giant Airbnb.
Tiqets plans to use the investment to expand its coverage to more attractions, and to extend into smaller towns, specifically building out better self-service technology to make it easier to hop onboard to its platform.
The investment also includes backing from HPE Growth and Investion, bringing the total raised by Tiqets to $100m.
The ticketing platform, which specialises in museums and attractions, has a presence in several markets including Philadelphia, Bangkok, London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Vienna. It is also available in 14 languages, so adding more localisation is also on the cards.
For Airbnb, the investment is part of a larger strategy to make investments into smaller start-ups that are strategically aligned with what it is aiming to build into its own business.
“Travellers are seeking out a diverse range of experiences when they visit a new city,” said Airbnb art and culture director Philippe Magid, according to Tech Crunch. “The Tiqets team has effectively used new technology to connect travellers to communities and we are excited to support their work.”
In the wider tourism and travel industry, ticketing accounts for $60bn of the museums and attractions revenues, which are estimated to be worth some $160bn.
Airbnb’s support of Tiqets highlights the company’s drive to expand beyond travel accommodation booking, with it already offering Experiences (in-city, one-day activities), Adventures (multi-day guided tours), and restaurant listings.
Luuc Elzinga, the chief executive and co-founder of Tiqets, said he is looking forward to learning from Airbnb, specifically about how it scaled. The executive also noted that the firm has no interest in expanding into live event or seated event ticketing.
Elzinga said: “Our focus and opportunity will continue to be museums and attractions. It’s getting more complex, with timed entry and issues like crowd management.”
Image: Open Grid Scheduler / Grid
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