VisitLocals
VisitLocals is a Swiss online marketplace that connects tourists with local guides offering personal excursions, tours, workshops, and courses across Switzerland. The platform serves tourists, families, and corporate clients, with over 160 activities from 90+ local providers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLuzern, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What VisitLocals does
VisitLocals is a Swiss consumer-facing digital marketplace that connects tourists and visitors with local guides offering personal excursions, tours, workshops, and courses across Switzerland. The platform is operated by SEC Brand Werbung AG, a Swiss Aktiengesellschaft headquartered at Kasimir-Pfyffer-Strasse 2 in Luzern, and is privately held. The product surface centers on a website (visitlocals.ch) and a mobile app that allow users to browse, filter, and book activities by region (14+ Swiss cantons/regions), type (hiking, food tours, creative workshops, adventure, family-friendly, relaxed, study, free tours, online courses), language (German, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian), duration, group size, and price. The platform curates approximately 160 activity offerings supplied by 90+ named local guides, with add-on modules including gift vouchers (CHF 10 minimum, one-year validity) and a dedicated Team Building Switzerland vertical for corporate clients.
The underlying technology is a standard marketplace booking platform with no proprietary hardware or algorithm described. Core integrations include Stripe for payment processing, Google Analytics for usage measurement, Google Maps for geographic display, and YouTube for embedded activity videos. VisitLocals is a transaction-fee business: it charges a 10% reservation fee per person (minimum CHF 10) at the time of booking, while the remainder of the tour price is paid directly to the activity provider. The company runs a product-led, self-serve go-to-market model with no enterprise sales motion; distribution is direct-to-consumer via the website, mobile app, and organic channels (SEO, social media on YouTube/Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn, email newsletter, and a blog with regional guides).
The customer base is predominantly tourists and visitors to Switzerland, with secondary segments for corporate/team-building clients and families. There are no disclosed enterprise customers, funding rounds, headcount growth metrics, or revenue figures, and the company operates with 1–10 employees. Sub-distributor (Untervermittler) partnerships allow third-party platforms to further distribute provider services through written agreement, but VisitLocals remains a Swiss-domestic operator with no international footprint disclosed.
VisitLocals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VisitLocals
- Legal name
- SEC Brand Werbung AG
- Website
- https://visitlocals.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- VisitLocals is a Swiss online marketplace that connects tourists with local guides offering personal excursions, tours, workshops, and courses across Switzerland. The platform serves tourists, families, and corporate clients, with over 160 activities from 90+ local providers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VisitLocals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tour and Activity Marketplace
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Travel Agencies (56151)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides (THAJALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF), Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB)
Keywords
Where VisitLocals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Luzern
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
VisitLocals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Reservation/Booking Commission: VisitLocals earns a reservation fee of 10% of the tour price per person, with a minimum of CHF 10 per person. This is charged to the consumer at the time of booking. The remainder of the tour price is paid directly to the tour guide/activity provider.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Per-activity booking with platform commission |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
VisitLocals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VisitLocals operates an online marketplace platform that connects tourists and visitors in Switzerland with approximately 90 local guides and activity providers offering more than 160 personal excursions, tours, workshops, and courses across the country. The platform enables consumers to browse, filter by region/activity type/language/duration/group size/price, and book experiences online, with Stripe-processed payments and a 10% reservation fee (minimum CHF 10) charged per booking.
Product overview
VisitLocals operates as a unified booking marketplace platform connecting tourists with local guides across Switzerland. The core platform enables discovery, browsing, and booking of personal excursions, tours, workshops, and courses through a web-based interface and mobile app. The product portfolio includes the core booking platform with integrated gift voucher functionality, categorized activity listings (Adventure, Food Lovers, Creative, Hiking, Relaxed, Insider tips, Study, Child-friendly, Online courses, and Free Tours), and team building packages for corporate clients. The platform facilitates direct bookings between visitors and local experience providers, with payment processing handled through Stripe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VisitLocals Booking Platform Consumer-facing online marketplace that aggregates 160+ personal excursions, tours, workshops, and courses offered by approximately 90 local guides and activity providers across Switzerland. Users can browse, filter by region, activity type, language, duration, group size, and price, then book and pay online via Stripe; VisitLocals charges a 10% reservation fee per person (minimum CHF 10).
- Gift Vouchers Digital gift vouchers purchased through the VisitLocals website, redeemable for any tour or experience on the platform; minimum value CHF 10, delivered by email and valid for one year from purchase.
- Team Building Switzerland Curated team building experiences and corporate group event activities delivered through the VisitLocals platform, available across multiple Swiss regions (Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, Basel, and others) for group sizes up to 100.
- VisitLocals Mobile App Mobile application allowing users to browse, filter, and book VisitLocals tours and experiences on mobile devices; governed by its own terms of service and subject to separate usage restrictions.
Companies that use VisitLocals
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
VisitLocals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
VisitLocals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Partner Platforms / Sub-distributors (Untervermittler)minorVisitLocals permits certain partner platforms (sub-distributors) to book or further distribute the tourist services of providers via its booking platform. Use of the platform by sub-distributors or co-operation partners requires a separate written agreement and prior written authorization from VisitLocals. VisitLocals is not a contracting party to the tourist services booked through these partners.
- StripecoreStripe Payments Europe Ltd processes payments on behalf of VisitLocals. VisitLocals passes order information (name, address, account number, possibly credit card number, invoice amount, currency, and transaction number) to Stripe solely for the purpose of payment processing.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
VisitLocals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tours by Locals: Marketplace for private, locally-guided tours across many countries including Switzerland. Directly comparable product (private guided experiences), target customer (independent travelers seeking authentic local tours), and business model (commission-based marketplace).
- GetYourGuide: Global tours and activities marketplace with significant Switzerland coverage. Competes directly with VisitLocals for both supplier (guide) acquisition and consumer demand, operating the same booking/transaction model at much larger scale.
- Headout: Curated tours, attractions, and experiences marketplace with growing European coverage including Switzerland. Competes in the same category and target audience as VisitLocals, though typically focused on attractions and professional operators rather than hobbyist hosts.
- Viator (Tripadvisor): Major tours and activities OTA owned by Tripadvisor, offering thousands of Swiss experiences. Direct competitor to VisitLocals on both supply (guide onboarding) and demand (SEO/bookings), backed by Tripadvisor's travel-intent traffic.
- Peek.com: Tours and activities booking platform with a curated marketplace model. Comparable to VisitLocals as a software-led marketplace connecting consumers with experience operators, with similar focus on quality curation and category coverage.
- Airbnb Experiences: Experiences product within Airbnb, including local-led tours, food experiences, and workshops in Switzerland. Operates the same 'host-led experience' thesis as VisitLocals and competes for the same passionate-local supply pool.
- Withlocals: Online marketplace connecting travelers with independent local hosts for private tours and food experiences. Closely comparable model to VisitLocals in that it curates non-professional local 'hosts' offering authentic experiences, with a similar take-rate marketplace structure and category mix.
Broad incumbents
- Klook: Large Asia-rooted OTA for travel activities, tours, and attractions, expanding aggressively in Europe. Overlaps with VisitLocals in Switzerland activity listings and bookings, though operates as a broad incumbent with a wider portfolio beyond experiences.
- Musement (TUI): Tours and activities platform owned by TUI, with European coverage including Switzerland. Competes for both consumer bookings and supplier relationships in the Swiss experience market, but as part of a much broader travel conglomerate portfolio.
Regional players
- Swiss Travel System / Switzerland Tourism: National/regional tourism organization promoting Switzerland and bundling transport and attraction tickets. Not a direct marketplace competitor but represents the dominant destination-marketing channel shaping how tourists discover Switzerland experiences, affecting VisitLocals' SEO and brand demand.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
VisitLocals social profiles
Digital presenceVisitLocals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VisitLocals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
VisitLocals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VisitLocals 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 VisitLocals
What does VisitLocals do?
VisitLocals operates an online marketplace platform that connects tourists and visitors in Switzerland with approximately 90 local guides and activity providers offering more than 160 personal excursions, tours, workshops, and courses across the country. The platform enables consumers to browse, filter by region/activity type/language/duration/group size/price, and book experiences online, with Stripe-processed payments and a 10% reservation fee (minimum CHF 10) charged per booking.
Is VisitLocals a public or private company?
VisitLocals is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was VisitLocals founded?
VisitLocals was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is VisitLocals based?
VisitLocals is headquartered in Luzern, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does VisitLocals make money?
One revenue line is on record: reservation/Booking Commission.
Who are VisitLocals's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tours by Locals, GetYourGuide, Headout, Viator (Tripadvisor), Peek.com, Airbnb Experiences and Withlocals. Broad incumbents are Klook and Musement (TUI). Swiss Travel System / Switzerland Tourism is listed as a regional player.
Does VisitLocals have an API?
No public API is recorded for VisitLocals.
What industry is VisitLocals in?
VisitLocals's product category is Tour and Activity Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJALAA, Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides, with a secondary code of THAAAGAF, Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized). Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7900.