GetYourGuide, an online travel and booking startup backed by SoftBank, lays off about 100 employees amid coronavirus pandemic

We wrote about Berlin, Germany-based GetYourGuide back in May 2019 after the online travel and booking startup raises a $484 million investment led by SoftBank. Travelers use GetYourGuide to connect with the best things to do wherever they’re headed — including skip-the-line tickets to the world’s most iconic attractions, walking tours by top local experts, immersive food and beverage tours, cooking and craft classes, bucket-list experiences, and niche offerings you won’t find anywhere else.

Now, just like other tech startups, GetYourGuide is feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. GetYourGuide announced the layoff of close to 100 staff as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the travel industry.

“We’re at an inflection point in our journey, and have made adjustments to our workforce,” said GetYourGuide spokesperson Will Gluckin in a statement shared with CNBC via email.

“As our view of the market’s path to recovery has come into focus, it’s become clear that it was necessary for us to adapt our company to the present reality. Those leaving our ranks have our deepest gratitude, and those staying on will lean into each other and push forward.”

Founded in 2009 by Jochen Mattes, Johannes Reck, Martin Sieber, Pascal Mathis, Tao Tao, and Tobias Rein, the Berlin, Germany-based GetYourGuide is an online marketplace and internet booking engine for incredible travel experiences. Since its founding in 2009, travelers from over 170 countries have booked more than 25 million tours, activities, and attraction tickets through GetYourGuide. The startup has a global team of over 500 travel experts and technologists and offices in 14 countries around the world.