What Ruefa does

Ruefa is an Austrian online and offline travel agency that sells package holidays (flight and hotel), hotel-only bookings, cruises, rail travel, and travel insurance primarily to Austrian consumers. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Österreichisches Verkehrsbuero AG, one of Austria's largest travel and tourism conglomerates, and operates under the legal entity Ruefa GmbH from its headquarters in Vienna (Jakov-Lind-Straße 15, 1020 Wien). Ruefa runs a hybrid distribution model that combines a self-service online booking platform (ruefa.at) with a network of physical travel agency branches in Vienna (including the Schwedenplatz and Sandleitengasse offices) and a dedicated Online Reisebüro, supported by free phone lines, video consultation, and 24/7 emergency support.

The core technology stack centers on an online travel booking platform with integrated search and filtering for flights, hotels, cruises, and rail, complemented by digital flipbook catalogs and a dedicated gift voucher portal. In 2025, Ruefa launched "KI recherchiert & individuelle Angebote von Ruefa kreiert," an AI-assisted service accessible via wunschermittlung.ruefa.at in which customers submit a free-text vacation idea and Ruefa's travel experts return a personalized, bookable offer generated with AI research support. The platform also exposes a free phone hotline (0800 200 400) and a 24/7 emergency line for active travelers.

Ruefa's revenue model is transaction-based: it earns commissions and margins from reselling tour-operator inventory (notably TUI, DER Touristik, AIDA Cruises, and MSC Cruises), service fees on bespoke and tailor-made trips, and affiliate referral commissions from its partnership with Europäische Reiseversicherung AG on travel insurance distribution. Package, hotel, and cruise pricing ranges from approximately €361 (camping resorts) to over €29,000 (long-haul luxury cruises), with typical Mediterranean 7-night packages at €500–€2,000 per person. Customer segments are horizontally diversified across families with children, individual travelers, single parents, couples, and groups/associations (including sports and ÖFB fan travel), and the company markets through its website, SEO, weekly email newsletter, a monthly Radio Wien travel show partnership, and physical print catalogs.

Name

Ruefa

Legal name

Ruefa GmbH

Website

https://ruefa.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ruefa is an Austrian online and offline travel agency (subsidiary of Österreichisches Verkehrsbuero AG) that sells package holidays, hotel-only bookings, cruises, and travel insurance to Austrian consumers via ruefa.at and a network of physical branches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Agencies (56151)

akta.pro primary industry

Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Honeymoon, Romance & Celebration Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAE), Luxury Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAE)

Keywords

• Online travel agency
• Package holidays
• Cruise booking
• Travel insurance
• Tailor-made travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Travel Package Sales: Commissions and margins from selling package holidays (Flug & Hotel), hotel-only bookings, and cruise packages from various tour operators including TUI, DER Touristik, and others
2. Service Fees: Service fees charged for booking services, video consultations, and personalized trip planning
3. Travel Insurance Distribution: Partnership with Europäische Reiseversicherung for travel insurance products, generating referral commissions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ruefa is an Austrian full-service travel agency operating an online platform (ruefa.at) alongside physical branches, selling package holidays (flight + hotel), hotel-only bookings, cruise reservations, rail travel, and travel insurance. Its portfolio also includes tailor-made trip planning, AI-assisted custom itinerary research ("KI recherchiert"), and expert travel consultation delivered via video, phone, and in-person channels. All services target individual Austrian consumers booking leisure vacations.

Product overview

Ruefa is an Austrian full-service travel agency operating both an online platform (ruefa.at) and a network of physical branch offices. Its core offering centers on package holidays (Flug & Hotel), hotel-only bookings, and cruise reservations, supplemented by rail travel, travel insurance, and tailor-made itinerary planning. The product portfolio includes the primary booking platform, an AI-assisted offer creation service (KI recherchiert & individuelles Angebot), appointment-based expert consultation, travel insurance via Europäische Reiseversicherung, digital flipbook catalogs across multiple travel themes, and gift vouchers. All services are accessible online and through Ruefa's branch network across Austria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ruefa Reisebüro (Online & Branchen) — Package Holidays, Hotel, Cruise, Rail, and Insurance Booking
• KI recherchiert & individuelles Angebot (AI-Assisted Custom Travel Offer) Customer submits a free-text vacation idea through the wunschermittlung.ruefa.at portal; Ruefa travel experts use AI to research options and return a personalized, bookable travel offer. Targeted at individual Austrian travelers who want custom itineraries without doing all the research themselves.
• Reiseberatung / Terminvereinbarung (Travel Consultation & Appointment Booking) Customers book video or in-person advisory appointments with Ruefa travel experts for personalized travel consultation, accessible online and at Vienna branch locations.
• Europäische Reiseversicherung (Travel Insurance Distribution) Travel insurance products from Europ\u00e4ische Reiseversicherung AG offered as an optional add-on during the Ruefa booking checkout flow, generating referral commissions for Ruefa.
• Maßgeschneiderte Reisen (Tailor-Made Travel) Tailor-made holidays designed entirely around individual customer preferences, with travel consultants curating customized itineraries.
• Ruefa Kataloge (Digital Flipbook Catalogs) Interactive digital flipbook catalogs covering cruise, early-booking, long-haul, study/cultural, sport, wedding, club, and seasonal travel packages, available for browsing and direct booking.
• Ruefa Gutscheine (Travel Gift Vouchers) Print and digital gift vouchers for Ruefa travel experiences, available for purchase via the dedicated gift voucher portal.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Europäische Reiseversicherung AGcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for travel insurance distribution. Europäische Reiseversicherung products are promoted alongside Ruefa travel packages, offering travel protection services to booking customers. Partnership includes family action promotions with 'Jahreskomplettschutz Familie' insurance prizes.
• ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for rail travel content and booking integration. ÖBB rail travel options featured on Ruefa platform, promoting train travel as an alternative to flights for European destinations.
• Radio WienminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly radio travel show 'Radio Wien Erlebnisreise' broadcast every last Saturday of the month (11:00-12:00). Joint content marketing partnership promoting travel destinations and Ruefa services.
• Volkshilfe WienminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial initiative partnership 'Ein Urlaub. Zwei Ziele.' where Ruefa donates €20 per booking to Volkshilfe Wien during campaign periods, combining travel with charitable giving.
• TUI (Touristik Union International)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary tour operator partner providing package holidays, cruises, and hotel inventory. Ruefa resells TUI products including Mein Schiff cruises, TUI Kids Club resorts, and package holidays.
• DER TouristikcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor tour operator partner providing package holidays and travel services. Ruefa offers DER Touristik products including brands like DERTour, ITS, and Jahn Reisen.
• AIDA CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for cruise distribution. Ruefa offers AIDAcosma and other AIDA ships through their cruise booking platform.
• MSC CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for cruise distribution. Ruefa offers MSC Seaview, MSC Preziosa and other MSC vessels.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ab-in-den-urlaub.de: ab-in-den-urlaub.de is a German online travel agency selling package holidays (Flug & Hotel) at price-led terms, directly comparable to Ruefa's online package offering for German-speaking travelers in the DACH region.
• Sonnenklar.TV: Sonnenklar.TV is a German-Austrian travel agency and broadcaster that sells packaged holidays through both television and online channels, closely paralleling Ruefa's hybrid content-plus-booking model in the DACH market.
• TUI Austria: TUI is the leading pan-European tour operator that also sells directly to Austrian consumers. Ruefa resells TUI packages while competing with tui.at for the same Austrian leisure customers — directly comparable in product and target market.
• HolidayCheck: HolidayCheck is a DACH travel review and booking platform where Austrian consumers compare and book hotels and packages — competing with Ruefa for the same online research-driven Austrian leisure customer.
• Schauinsland-Reisen: Schauinsland-Reisen is a DACH tour operator selling Mediterranean and long-haul packages through both direct online channels and partner travel agencies, directly comparable in product mix and Austrian target customer.
• FTI Touristik: FTI is a major German tour operator with a strong Austrian presence selling package holidays, hotels, and cruises — overlapping directly with Ruefa's core Flug & Hotel and cruise offerings.
• DER Touristik Austria: DER Touristik is a core Ruefa supplier (DERTour, ITS, Jahn Reisen) that also operates its own direct booking channels in Austria, creating a supplier-cum-competitor relationship for the same Mediterranean and family-package demand.

Broad incumbents

• Expedia: Expedia operates a global OTA platform with Austrian presence, competing directly with Ruefa on package, hotel, and flight bookings while offering a much broader international inventory and technology stack.
• Booking.com: Booking.com is the global OTA leader that competes with Ruefa across Austrian hotel and package bookings. It is significantly larger and broader in scope but targets the same Austrian leisure traveler and offers overlapping inventory.

Emerging players

• Check24: Check24 is a German comparison portal that has expanded aggressively into Austrian travel comparison and booking, partially overlapping with Ruefa's hotel, package, and travel-insurance offerings via a price-led digital model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ruefa

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

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 Ruefa