What Rough Guides does

Rough Guides is a UK-rooted travel media and online travel agency (OTA) founded in 1982 as a print guidebook publisher, now operating under the Apa Group (UK) / Apa Digital AG (Switzerland) corporate umbrella. Since 2013 it has run a platform-plus-network model in which travelers submit a trip enquiry, receive up to three proposals from vetted local travel experts, refine the itinerary collaboratively, and book with a secure payment-escrow wrapper (funds held by the Swiss entity and released shortly before travel) plus 24/7 in-destination support. The supply side is a network of 60+ vetted local travel agencies and hundreds of named local experts across 75+ countries and 90+ destinations, surfaced through a curated marketplace of 896 tailor-made itineraries and 700+ expert-built trips.

The technology stack is a self-serve-plus-consultation web platform with a multi-expert proposal workflow, an insured payment-escrow system, and a content layer comprising 149+ printed/digital travel guide titles plus free online destination guides used for SEO acquisition. There is no disclosed public API, SDK, or AI/ML product surface. Distribution is direct-to-consumer globally via roughguides.com, augmented by review platforms (Google 4.9/5, Trustpilot 4.8/5 across 758 reviews) and organic content/social marketing.

Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee / commission basis: Rough Guides takes a cut on each booked tailor-made trip priced in the $1,900–$8,500+ per-person range depending on duration, accommodation level, and guide services. The business is consumer-only (B2C), with no disclosed B2B, enterprise, or SaaS revenue lines, and the legacy bookshop provides ancillary product revenue.

Name

Rough Guides

Legal name

Apa Digital AG

Website

https://roughguides.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Rough Guides is a UK-founded (1982) online travel agency and guidebook publisher that operates a platform connecting travelers with vetted local experts across 90+ destinations, earning commission on bespoke trip bookings with secure payment escrow.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Agency

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (5615)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides (THAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guided Tours & Interpretive Services (Ranger-Led, Naturalist, Cultural Interpretation) (THAAAGAB), Hiking, Trekking & Mountain Guiding (THAJABAA), Technical Outdoor Guiding Services (Hiking, Trekking, Mountaineering) (THAAALAA)

Keywords

• Tailor-made travel
• Travel guidebooks
• Online travel agency
• Local travel experts
• Destination travel guides

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Travel Booking Commission: Rough Guides facilitates bookings between travelers and local travel experts, earning commission on each booked trip. Customers pay for their tailor-made trips through the platform, with Rough Guides handling payment security and releasing funds to local experts before the trip.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rough Guides operates an online travel agency platform that connects individual travelers with a vetted network of local travel experts who design and book personalized, tailor-made itineraries across 90+ destinations. The company also sells travel guidebooks (149+ titles in print) and provides free online destination content, leveraging its 50+ years of travel publishing heritage to drive bookings through commission-based transactions.

Product overview

Rough Guides operates as an online travel agency offering tailor-made trips through a platform-plus-network model. The core product is the Tailor-Made Travel service, which connects travelers directly with vetted local experts who build personalized itineraries from scratch. Supporting this is the Trip Marketplace of 700+ curated itineraries that can be customized, the Local Expert Network of verified destination specialists, and the legacy Travel Guides Bookshop featuring 149+ printed and digital guidebook titles. Additional services include free destination guides and a Booking Protection Policy for secure transactions. The platform is owned by Apa Digital AG, a Swiss company, and leverages over 50 years of travel expertise dating back to 1982.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rough Guides Tailor-Made Travel Core service connecting individual travelers with vetted local travel experts who design and manage personalized, end-to-end itineraries across 90+ destinations. Includes consultation, custom proposal generation, secure booking, and 24/7 in-destination support.
• Trip Marketplace Curated online marketplace featuring 896 pre-designed tailor-made trip itineraries across 90+ destinations, allowing travelers to browse, compare, and customize itineraries or commission new ones from local experts.
• Rough Guides Travel Guides Bookshop Online bookshop selling Rough Guides travel guidebooks and language guides, with 149+ travel guide titles currently in print covering destinations worldwide.
• Booking Protection Policy Financial protection service for trip bookings including secure payment processing, with funds held by Rough Guides and only released to local experts shortly before the trip, plus credit card protection for travelers.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tilila TravelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMorocco-based local travel agency vetted by Rough Guides. Handles tailor-made tours in Morocco with experts like Mohammed who specializes in personalized Morocco itineraries and Yassin who serves as knowledgeable guide and companion for tours across Morocco including Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Tetuan, Chefchouen, Meknes, Fes, and Marrakech.
• Responsible TravelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal travel operator with experts like Jeferson who plans Peru and Galapagos trips. One of the local travel agencies in Rough Guides' network of 60+ agencies across 75+ countries.
• Local Travel Experts NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 60+ vetted local travel agencies and hundreds of verified local experts across 90+ destinations worldwide. Includes individual experts like Roberto (Costa Rica), Mohamed (Morocco), Jose Alejandro (Ecuador), Maria Jose (Ecuador), Gabriela (Bolivia/Argentina/Brazil/Chile), and many others specializing in their respective destinations.
• Apa Digital AGcoreOthersSwiss parent company (Bahnhofplatz 6, 8854 Siebnen, Switzerland) that owns and operates Rough Guides brand. Provides corporate structure and backing for the travel platform.
• Apa GroupcoreOthersGroup headquartered at 7 Bell Yard London WC2A 2JR, United Kingdom that owns the Rough Guides trademark and provides brand authority and heritage.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RoughGuides
• Facebookfacebook.com/roughguides
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rough-guides

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rough Guides