GetYourGuide is removing several categories from its marketplace and has written to suppliers to inform them of the move.
In an email shared with PhocusWire, the company said the move is “part of ongoing efforts to optimize our platform and offering.”
The Germany-based company said that effective July 31, categories including self- or mobile-guided audio tours, exploration games and scavenger hunts as well as eSIMs and SIM cards are being removed. Vehicle rentals without an associated tour/activity or driver are also included.
The email points suppliers to the company’s terms and conditions, which talk about removing content if customers are at risk or there is “excessive chargebacks or fraudulent transactions.”
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GetYourGuide told PhocusWire the changes affect fewer than 0.5% of supply partners and that “affected supply partners can continue their business on the platform if they offer activities such as guided tours.”
Alex Govoreanu, co-founder and CEO of self-guided tours app Questo confirmed the company had received the email and described the news as “surprising, especially in a time when we are growing faster than ever, and we see a growing interest for self-guided tours.”
He added, however, that it is not a shock: “Our sales on GYG dropped two years in a row, while our overall sales grew 20 [times] in the same time frame. In the past two years, GYG allowed on its platform multiple suppliers of self-guided tours, and I guess this has led to a significant decrease in the quality of the experience they were providing to the end customers.”
Govoreanu also said Questo remains open to doing business with GetYourGuide.
Airbnb said last month it was removing experiences and canceling future reservations affecting thousands of suppliers.
In a statement provided at the time, the company said, “We regularly evaluate Experiences based on the host’s expertise, the activity’s uniqueness and local relevance, and guests’ ratings and reviews and remove those that continue to provide low quality experiences.”