What Orma Guides Srl does

Orma Guides Srl is an Italian sustainable travel company that designs and sells small-group, activist-led trips to 45+ destinations worldwide, emphasizing a slow-travel philosophy at a "5 km/h" human pace. Its core product is a portfolio of guided group trips thematically organized around geology, biodiversity, anthropology, and local culture, led by a network of 25+ named activists, science communicators, photographers, and environmental guides (e.g., Fill Pill, Giovanni Mori, Aurelio Marino, Sofia Pasotto, Plastic Free). Trips are sold per-traveler at €190–€6,950 depending on duration and destination, with a 30% deposit and 70% balance 30 days pre-departure.

Underlying the trips, Orma operates the ORMA Guides mobile app for iOS (iOS 12+), which provides trip discovery, community features, and locked digital urban guides unlocked via a one-time in-app purchase (ORMA Guides Plus) covering curated restaurants, shops, clubs, parks, and attractions selected for sustainability criteria. The company also publishes the Impronte Vive email newsletter, positioned as an anti-mass-tourism, anti-FOMO content channel. The booking and payment infrastructure is delivered through a core partnership with Apical (Direzione Turistica Apical Srl), a licensed Italian tour operator providing regulatory authorization (SCIA), professional liability insurance (Europ Assistance Policy 38305Q), and guarantee fund coverage (Fondo Vacanze Felici, registration 1832/2019); reservation workflows run on BookingLayer at orma-guides.bookinglayer.com.

The go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-consumer: organic content on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn, supported by a Telegram community offering discount codes and early trip access, plus earned media coverage in La Repubblica (Venerdì), Vanity Fair Italia, LifeGate, and Travel Massive. Customer support runs through WhatsApp, Typeform inquiry forms, and email. The company serves sustainability-conscious individual travelers aged 22-45 (average 30-35) seeking meaningful, activism-integrated experiences over conventional mass tourism, with no disclosed revenue, no institutional funding, and a team of 1-10 employees headquartered in Brindisi, Italy.

Name

Orma Guides Srl

Legal name

Orma Guides Srl

Website

https://ormaguides.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Orma Guides Srl is an Italian sustainable travel startup that organizes small-group, activist-led slow-travel trips to 45+ destinations worldwide and operates the ORMA Guides iOS city guide app, serving sustainability-conscious individual travelers aged 22-45 seeking meaningful, activism-integrated cultural experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Slow and Sustainable Travel Experiences

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Package Tour Wholesalers (Pre-Packaged FIT/Group Programs) (THAKAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Culture, Heritage & Arts Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable travel experiences
• Activist-led group trips
• Slow tourism packages
• Digital city guides
• Community travel platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Brindisi

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Guided Group Trip Packages: Sale of guided travel packages through Apical (itineraries, accommodations, sometimes transportation and activities). Customers pay per traveler with prices ranging from €190 to €6,950 depending on trip duration and destination. Payment terms: 30% down payment at booking, 70% due 30 days prior to departure.
2. ORMA Guides Plus - City Guide Catalog: In-app one-time purchase for digital city guides. Single guide or entire catalog available. Once purchased, access is permanent with no recurring fees or automatic renewals. Refunds handled by Apple & Google.
3. App Subscriptions: ORMA Plus subscription for app content access. Non-transferable, tied to user's personal account. Paid in advance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Orma Guides Srl sells curated, activist-led guided group trips to 45+ international destinations, focusing on slow, sustainable travel at a 5 km/h pace with themes including geology, biodiversity, anthropology, and local culture. Trips are sold as packages (€190-€6,950 per traveler) through the Apical booking platform. The company also operates the ORMA Guides iOS mobile app and an in-app purchase product (ORMA Guides Plus) offering curated digital city guides as one-time or catalog-wide purchases.

Product overview

Orma Guides Srl is a travel platform and community that organizes immersive guided group trips led by activists and science communicators, emphasizing slow, meaningful travel at a human pace (5 km/h). The core product is the Guided Group Trips offering, which spans destinations worldwide including Iceland, Ecuador, Greece, Morocco, Chile/Argentina, and Italy, with thematic focuses on geology, biodiversity, anthropology, culture, and local culture. The company also operates the ORMA Guides mobile app (iOS 12+) and the ORMA Guides Plus premium in-app purchase for unlocking digital urban guides (restaurants, shops, clubs, parks, attractions). The Impronte Vive newsletter provides ongoing travel content. All travel packages are sold through Apical, a licensed tour operator partner handling bookings, payments, and insurance. The platform positions itself at the intersection of travel, activism, and sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Group Trips Immersive guided group travel experiences led by activists, scientists, and storytellers across 45+ international destinations including Iceland, Ecuador, Greece, Morocco, Chile/Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Jordan, and Italy. Trips focus on thematic explorations such as geology, biodiversity, anthropology, and local culture, paced at 5 km/h to encourage meaningful engagement. Packages include accommodation, some meals, activities, and insurance options.
• ORMA Guides App (iOS Mobile Application) Mobile application for iOS devices (iOS 12 or above) providing access to trip information, digital urban guides, and community features. Most content is locked and unlocked through in-app purchase of single city guides or the full catalog.
• ORMA Guides Plus (In-App Digital City Guides) Premium in-app purchase product that unlocks curated digital urban guides covering restaurants, shops, clubs, parks, and attractions in cities worldwide. Sold as a one-time purchase for a single city guide or the entire catalog, with lifetime access and no recurring subscriptions.
• Travel Packages via Apical Tour Operator All-inclusive guided travel packages sold through Apical (Italian licensed tour operator) including itineraries, accommodations, transportation where applicable, activities, and required regulatory protections such as professional liability insurance and Fondo Vacanze Felici guarantee fund coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants aged 22-45 with average age of 30-35
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Apical (Direzione Turistica Apical Srl)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApical is Orma's licensed tour operator partner handling travel logistics, bookings, and payment processing. Orma manages the platform and content while Apical provides administrative authorization (REA BS-577256 / SCIA 0191363), professional liability insurance, and guarantee fund through Fondo Vacanze Felici. Located at Via Stretta 32, 25128 Brescia, Italy.
• ScomodominorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent and conscious community that gives voice to new generations through in-depth information and cultural actions. Media and community partnership.
• greenApesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatform that turns sustainable actions into donations and rewards positive impact. App and community partnership.
• Impact HubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStartup incubator and accelerator with coworking spaces. Impact Hub has locations in Milan, Florence, and Turin. Coworking partnership.
• To To MagminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent magazine about foreign cities seen through eyes of Italians living there. Magazine partnership for content and visibility.
• GreenPeaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity and store in Turin making sustainability accessible. Shop and community partnership.
• Europ Assistance Italia S.p.A.coreOthersInsurance provider for professional liability policy (Policy No. 38305Q) as required for tour operator operations through Apical.
• Fondo Vacanze Felici S.c.a.r.l.coreOthersGuarantee fund providing consumer protection in case of insolvency or bankruptcy. Registration number 1832/2019.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TourRadar: Multi-operator tour marketplace aggregating guided group trips from hundreds of operators. Comparable on the discovery-and-booking side of Orma's offering, though as a horizontal aggregator rather than a single operator.
• Intrepid Travel: Large established small-group adventure tour operator with a strong sustainability and responsible-travel positioning. Comparable business model (guided group trips with thematic/local focuses), but at much larger scale and broader scope than Orma.
• G Adventures: Global small-group tour operator with community-based tourism (CBT) initiatives and local-led experiences. Operates in the same values-driven small-group trip category as Orma but at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.

Direct peers

• ToursByLocals: Private guided tour marketplace featuring vetted local guides worldwide. Comparable in the local-expert-led tour concept and digital booking infrastructure, though focused on private rather than small-group travel.
• Responsible Travel: UK-based online marketplace focused exclusively on sustainable, locally-led holidays. Closely comparable to Orma's sustainability-led, expert/guide-driven small-group trip positioning and values-aligned traveler segment.
• Withlocals: Marketplace connecting travelers with local hosts for guided tours and experiences. Shares Orma's 'guide-as-storyteller' positioning and direct-to-consumer booking model, though typically shorter-format city experiences.

Emerging players

• Culture Trip: Travel content and experience platform offering curated local-led trips and stories. Comparable on the content-plus-experiences model and 'authentic local perspective' positioning Orma uses around its guides.
• Local Alike: Community-based tourism platform connecting travelers with local hosts in indigenous and rural communities. Comparable to Orma's activist-led, community-immersive trips (e.g., Waorani in Ecuador) and impact-led positioning.
• Kind Traveler: Curated sustainable travel marketplace with a giving-back model. Comparable on the values-aligned traveler audience and curated-booking platform structure that Orma targets.
• Sapa Sisters: Female-led, community-based tour operator in Vietnam offering authentic local experiences led by local guides. Comparable niche in community-led, purpose-driven small-group travel, though geographically focused on a single region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCROyvc4-ZxlFTo1dpy5-HjQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orma-guides
• Instagraminstagram.com/ormaguides
• TikToktiktok.com/@ormaguides

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Orma Guides Srl