Cardiff's TourHub raises £3M to put specialist tours online
What's the deal? TourHubDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Cardiff-based online marketplace for group and adventure tours, has raised £3 million ($4 million) in a late-stage round. The money combines equity from existing backers — the Development Bank of WalesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Waterspring VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, plus a group of business angels — with long-term debt from Finstock CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? TourHub lists more than 15,000 tours from 750 operators worldwide and sells to travellers in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. The funds will go toward technology, including AI-enabled search and booking, international marketing, and growing its operator network to 1,000 by 2027.
By the numbers: Sales rose close to 40% last year to £23 million, taking total sales since launch to £45 million. The company, founded during the Covid-19 pandemic and trading since January 2023, says its typical customer is in their 60s, mostly female, and half travel solo, with an average trip of 11 days.
Why now? Much of the specialist tour market is still booked offline, giving platforms room to bring operators and international demand together. Research puts the global experiences market at $253 billion in 2024, projected to reach $342 billion by 2029, with only about a third booked online in 2025.
"Demand for experiential travel is buoyant," said founder and chief executive Seamus Conlon. "This investment brings more of that demand to our operator partners, and builds a world-class travel business here in Wales."
The round marks the Development Bank of Wales' third investment in the company, drawn from its Wales Flexible Investment Fund. "TourHub has made strong progress since our first investment," said Tom Linney, an investment executive at the bank.
The signal: The round is not evidence of a wider funding surge — it is an extension backed by existing investors. The real test is whether TourHub can scale its operator network and turn fast growth into durable performance.
Read more: travelweekly.co.uk, developmentbank.wales
Image credit: Phillie Casablanca
