Forwardkeys
ForwardKeys is a Valencia-based travel intelligence company, now an Amadeus subsidiary, that provides predictive analytics on air travel, traveler behavior, and spending to tourism boards, luxury and travel retailers, hospitality, finance, and other travel-dependent businesses worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersValencia, Spain
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Forwardkeys does
ForwardKeys, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Valencia, Spain, is a travel intelligence company that processes air travel booking data, geolocation signals, and traveler spending data to produce real-time and predictive insights on global travel patterns. The platform analyzes 4 billion+ travel data points enriched by billions of booking records, anchored to a primary data partnership with IATA, and claims 97% forecast accuracy by blending historical data with actual future bookings. Its product portfolio centers on four platform solutions — Destination Gateway (for destination marketing organizations), Traveller Statistics (granular traveler demographics and behavior), Data Smarts via ForwardKeys Connect (API and data integration), and Data & Consulting Services — plus a Nexus business intelligence layer, organized into six vertical go-to-market tracks: Destinations, Brands & Retailers, Media & Advertising, Hospitality, Finance, and Other Travel Segments.
The company operates a B2B enterprise sales motion with quote-based annual subscriptions and a 21-day demo evaluation cycle, selling directly to travel-dependent organizations including national tourism boards (Visit Brussels, Visit Finland, Tourism Malaysia, South African Tourism), luxury and travel retailers (LVMH, Harrods, Selfridges, DFS, Gebr. Heinemann), and car rental, cruise, and airport operators. Revenue streams include platform subscriptions, API access, and consulting services; pricing is not publicly disclosed. In May 2025, ForwardKeys was acquired by Amadeus, a major publicly traded travel technology company, and now operates as ForwardKeys, an Amadeus Company, while retaining its brand, product surface, and Valencia headquarters. The company employs approximately 100 people across 17 nationalities and has shipped material product expansions through 2024, including a 36-month route-level forecast, Growth Management module, Air Capacity Forecast, and environmental impact analytics for inbound tourism.
Forwardkeys firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forwardkeys
- Legal name
- Forward Data S.L.U.
- Website
- https://forwardkeys.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- ForwardKeys is a Valencia-based travel intelligence company, now an Amadeus subsidiary, that provides predictive analytics on air travel, traveler behavior, and spending to tourism boards, luxury and travel retailers, hospitality, finance, and other travel-dependent businesses worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forwardkeys industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Intelligence Analytics
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B Metasearch & White-Label Comparison Widgets (THALAEAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Local Tours, Activities & Attractions Metasearch (THALAEAI)
Keywords
Where Forwardkeys is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Valencia
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forwardkeys business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Data Services and Online Platform Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to ForwardKeys online platform (www.forwardkeys.com) and API connection. Services include .csv flat files, offline reports, and online platform access. Demo accounts available for 21 days evaluation period before subscription.
- Data Smarts via ForwardKeys Connect: API access and data integration services enabling customers to access and utilize travel intelligence data through their own systems and applications
- Consulting Services: Expert consulting services providing personalized interpretation and contextualization of travel data for strategic decision-making
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription with full platform access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Forwardkeys product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ForwardKeys provides a B2B travel intelligence platform that aggregates global air traffic, geolocation, behavioural, and spending data to deliver predictive insights on traveller movements and demand. Its product suite includes Destination Gateway (for DMOs and tourism boards), Traveller Statistics, Data Smarts via ForwardKeys Connect (API/data delivery), and Data & Consulting Services, serving destinations, hospitality, brands & retailers, media, and finance.
Product overview
ForwardKeys, an Amadeus Company, provides a comprehensive Travel Intelligence platform serving multiple verticals including Destinations (DMOs), Brands & Retailers, Media & Advertising, Hospitality, Finance, and Other Travel Segments. The core product architecture consists of specialised platform solutions including Destination Gateway for destination marketing organisations, Traveller Statistics for granular traveller behaviour analysis, Data Smarts via ForwardKeys Connect for data access and API distribution, and Data & Consulting Services for expert advisory support. The Nexus platform serves as the company's advanced business intelligence layer. The company processes 4 trillion travel data points enriched by billions of booking records across air travel, geolocation, behavioural, and spending analytics. The platform leverages IATA data as its primary source and delivers 97% forecast accuracy by blending historical data with actual future bookings. New capabilities launched in 2024 include the 36-month route-level forecast (September 2024) and Growth Management Module (August 2024).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Destination Gateway A destination marketing organisation (DMO) platform providing comprehensive air travel intelligence including inbound traveller forecasts, market share analysis, growth management capabilities, visitor impact analysis, and environmental impact tracking for destinations.
- Traveller Statistics A data analytics platform delivering granular insights on traveller demographics, nationalities, booking patterns, and travel behaviour from country to street level, enabling strategic decision-making for travel-dependent businesses.
- Data Smarts via ForwardKeys Connect A data access and delivery platform enabling organisations to connect directly to ForwardKeys data feeds, APIs, and analytics tools for integration into their own systems and workflows.
- Data & Consulting Services Expert consulting services providing personalised support for interpreting and contextualising ForwardKeys travel data, including market analysis, strategic planning assistance, and specialised sector expertise.
- Nexus An advanced business intelligence (BI) platform for the tourism industry providing detailed historical, current, and future traveller trend analysis at a global level with granular data exploration capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% forecast accuracy achieved by blending historical data with actual future bookings
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Forwardkeys
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Forwardkeys technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability1 record
Feature8 records
Forwardkeys partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- PortCREW (Interreg Euro-MED)minorPortCREW (Port-City Regions To Wave Med Cruise Destinations As Smart, Sustainable And Striking Eco-Tourism Systems) is a collaborative initiative in which ForwardKeys participates to help understand tourist behavior in cruise destinations and port cities across the Mediterranean.
- The Moodie Davitt ReportcoreForwardKeys partnered with The Moodie Davitt Report to produce regular International Travel Outlook Reports, combining ForwardKeys' travel analytics with Moodie Davitt's travel retail journalism.
- IATAcoreIATA is referenced as a strategic collaborator in the Data & Consulting Services section. ForwardKeys leverages industry-standard data sources and partnerships to enrich its travel intelligence platform.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Forwardkeys competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sojern: Sojern provides travel marketing analytics and audience activation for destinations, hospitality, and consumer brands using travel intent data. It directly competes with ForwardKeys' Brands & Retailers and Media & Advertising verticals.
- Phocuswright: Phocuswright provides travel market research, sizing, and forecasting used by DMOs, OTAs, and travel suppliers. It is a direct comparable to ForwardKeys' market intelligence, destination, and finance solutions.
- Mabrian Technologies: Mabrian is a Barcelona-based tourism intelligence company providing air connectivity, traveler perception, and sustainability analytics to destinations and hospitality clients in Europe and Latin America, directly competing with ForwardKeys' Destination Gateway offering.
- ADARA: ADARA (now owned by RateGain) provides travel intent and audience data for marketers and tourism boards using airline booking and travel search signals. Its travel intelligence offering closely overlaps with ForwardKeys' Destination and Media solutions.
- OAG: OAG is the leading global provider of airline schedule, flight status, and aviation analytics data. It directly competes with ForwardKeys in air travel booking intelligence, capacity tracking, and demand forecasting for airlines, airports, and travel buyers.
- Skift Research: Skift Research publishes travel market intelligence, forecasts, and analytical reports used by destinations, hospitality, and corporate travel stakeholders. It overlaps with ForwardKeys' content, insights, and consultancy offerings.
- Cirium: Cirium (now part of LexisNexis Risk Solutions) provides aviation analytics including flight schedules, on-time performance, and passenger intelligence. It is a direct competitor in air traffic data services sold to airports, airlines, and travel-dependent enterprises.
- Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics): Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, produces econometric forecasting of travel demand, GDP impact, and scenario analysis for destinations and finance clients. It competes with ForwardKeys' macro forecasting and consulting services.
Emerging players
- Hopper: Hopper has built proprietary predictive analytics on air and hotel pricing to power its consumer app and B2B partners (Hopper Cloud). It intersects with ForwardKeys in travel demand prediction, though its primary model is consumer-facing rather than enterprise intelligence.
Broad incumbents
- Sabre Intelligence: Sabre is a global GDS and travel technology platform that bundles airline, agency, and analytics capabilities (including Sabre Travel Data, AirVision Market Intelligence) competing broadly with ForwardKeys across travel-dependent enterprise intelligence.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forwardkeys social profiles
Digital presenceForwardkeys financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forwardkeys leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Forwardkeys funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forwardkeys M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forwardkeys
What does Forwardkeys do?
ForwardKeys provides a B2B travel intelligence platform that aggregates global air traffic, geolocation, behavioural, and spending data to deliver predictive insights on traveller movements and demand. Its product suite includes Destination Gateway (for DMOs and tourism boards), Traveller Statistics, Data Smarts via ForwardKeys Connect (API/data delivery), and Data & Consulting Services, serving destinations, hospitality, brands & retailers, media, and finance.
Is Forwardkeys a public or private company?
Forwardkeys is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Forwardkeys founded?
Forwardkeys was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Forwardkeys based?
Forwardkeys is headquartered in Valencia, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Forwardkeys make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Data Services and Online Platform Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are data Smarts via ForwardKeys Connect and consulting Services.
Who are Forwardkeys's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sojern, Phocuswright, Mabrian Technologies, ADARA, OAG, Skift Research, Cirium and Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics). Hopper is listed as an emerging player. Sabre Intelligence is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Forwardkeys have an API?
Yes. ForwardKeys provides an online platform and API connection as part of its Online Services. The API connection is referenced in the Service Level Agreement as one of the two types of Online Services offered. Specific details on API type (REST, GraphQL, etc.), authentication method, rate limits, documentation URL, or SDK availability are not specified in the provided source content.
What industry is Forwardkeys in?
Forwardkeys's product category is Travel Intelligence Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALAEAK, B2B Metasearch & White-Label Comparison Widgets, with a secondary code of THALAEAI, Local Tours, Activities & Attractions Metasearch. Its NAICS code is 518210 and its SIC code is 4700.