FamGuru, a female-owned travel tech startup, has secured over $100,000 in seed funding on Wefunder, an equity crowdfunding portal. FamGuru is the first-of-its-kind platform and app that helps travel professionals plan, organize and profit from their familiarization trips (FAM trips).
FamGuru offers convenience and functionality for the travel sales industry. The app debuted in August 2023 at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. Since then:
- More than 1,000 Fam trips worldwide have been organized via FamGuru’s platform with users from six continents.
- Virtuoso has been using FamGuru on its 2023 Fam programs for luxury travel advisors to Ireland, the Cayman Islands, Thailand and Qatar, with more trips expected next year.
- Hotel brands including Jumeirah Hotels, Banyan Tree and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts are trialing the software.
Traditional travel agencies have been crucial to travel industry growth, as more clients rely on their expertise and personalized guidance in an uncertain world. Worth more than $100 billion worldwide in 2023, the industry is projected to reach $212.9 billion by 2032, according to Allied Market Research. Fam trips are essential to supporting this growth as advisors must experience hotels, destinations and activities first-hand to develop product knowledge.
Studies by the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) indicate that 74 percent of advisors participated in Fam trips in 2019. However, the model for how advisors store, process and share Fam trip insight has been outdated until now. FamGuru was a finalist in the “Entrepreneur of the Year” competition in 2022.
To learn more, visit www.famguru.app.
Related Stories
Timbers Company Introduces New Travel Advisor Support, Andiamo
Nexion Travel Group Honors Veterans Through Travel Program
Sandos Hotels & Resorts to Launch Enhanced Travel Advisor Portal