Viatu lands $1M for sustainable multi-day tours platform

Viatu, a startup for sustainable multi-day tours, has raised $1 million in a seed round.

The investment was led by Ndoto with ASI Reisen and a number of angel investors also participating.

The Switzerland-based startup has now raised a total of $1.2 million and plans to use this latest funding towards finishing its direct booking system and launching the customer interface.

Viatu says it uses “API and data-driven technology” to enable travelers to customize trips and book each element of an itinerary on a single platform.

The startup says it offers only destinations with “sound environmental, social and economic credentials” that align with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s criteria. 

In addition, Viatu’s suppliers are scored according to the Green Globe International Standard for Sustainable Tourism. 

The startup has also integrated with Squake’s offsetting API to access carbon emission calculations for trip elements and make the relevant contribution.

Bárbara Buchel, co-founder and chief impact officer at Viatu, said: "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. For example, we had a situation where a customer’s flight to Costa Rica had been canceled, so they ended up planning and rebooking an entirely new two-week trip to Namibia while at the airport using Viatu, and within the hour they were boarding a flight to Windhoek.”