Lovetovisit, a booking portal for UK attractions, experiences and events, has secured more funds for expansion.
The venture, set up in 2021, has raised £3.2 million from investors only five months after securing an initial £2.1 million. The latest investment comes after after just over 18 months of trading.
Lovetovisit was founded by twins Georgia and Alice Aubrey with tourism marketer Fed Pereira.
The sisters won the John Hays Entrepreneur of the Year award at The Travel Industry Awards by TTG last September.
The latest cash injection comes from Venrex and Redrice Ventures. It was joined by Active Partners, Velocity Partners and Angels.
Since launch, Lovetovisit has produced £7.4 million in revenue and has more than 2,700 listings. It boasts more than 3.2 million users.
The trio, who previously worked together at Pereira’s tourism marketing agency, spotted a gap in the market for a platform that allowed consumers to find and book local things to do.
Existing partners include Alton Towers, Chester Zoo and ZipWorld, with 85% of Lovetovisit’s attractions outside London.
Lovetovisit said it planned to double growth and inventory year-on-year for the next three years. “The funding will also be used to enhance the platform’s AI capabilities to further optimise the user experience, and to scale operations internationally,” it added.
Alice Aubrey said: “Lovetovisit has gone from strength to strength this year and we’re incredibly proud to have such esteemed investors onboard. Building the business and hitting these milestones alongside my sister is a dream.
“There are so many weird, wonderful and iconic things to do in this country, we just need to make it easier for people to find, explore and book them. Our goal is to be the go-to platform for booking memorable things to do, and this raise is a big step towards achieving that mission.”
Zip World UK chief executive Andrew Hudson added: “As both a large attraction group selling tickets on the platform and a previous investor in Lovetovisit, we’re really pleased with their success.
"As a fast-growing business ourselves we’re always looking to expand our audience and bring new people to experience Zip World. Lovetovisit gives us another excellent way to do that.”
Entries for this year's John Hays Entrepreneur Award are open now, and close in just over a week at midnight on Friday 9 August. For the first time, finalists will be interviewed face-to-face by Dame Irene and a TTG Media/Hays Travel panel.
Besides the accolade itself, this year’s winner will receive 12 months' support from Dame Irene Hays and the Hays Travel board and an opportunity to address TTG’s new 30 Under 30 group, as well as coverage in TTG's print title and online.
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