• Ukrainian tech-powered tour operator Eurotrips entered into partnership with British travel holding Day 8
• The partnership presupposes EUR 260K of investment for the Ukrainian company
• Eurotrips will use it for international expansion and product development

This March, Ukrainian youth-oriented tour operator Eurotrips has announced its first ever investment round since the company’s inception in 2013. London-based travel holding company Day 8 became the lead and only investor in this EUR 260K corporate round, making Eurotrips a perfect addition to its portfolio of travel companies that includes Yacht Week, Ski Week, and Quarter Deck.

History and Milestones

Eurotrips was founded by two childhood friends Volodymyr Olyanitsky and Alex Ilyash and became their first entrepreneurial experience that played an important role in their development as entrepreneurs. Eventually, Mr Ilyash sold his share in the project and created another company, DAVINCI, which provides group hotel booking services for tour operators. After 5 years of the company’s existence, Dmytro Yaremkovych joined the project. At that point, he had already been a serial entrepreneur with three successful businesses under his belt.

Today, the two founders are developing a SaaS startup Choice and its solution for restaurants that successfully operate in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Poland. As for Mr Yaremkovych, he got the position of Eurotips’ CEO and manages the Ukrainian division of the company. He is also in charge of developing an international project with Day8.

Eurotrips is a detailed illustration of growing from a small travel company operating under another company’s tour operator license all the way into a sizable player in the travel market, with a 10% share of the Ukrainian market and a ranking of the top 10 largest tour operators in the country. Its milestones go as follows:

2013

• The first tour from Kyiv
• Registration of the company
• Obtaining a tour operator’s license

2014-2015 

• Organized 20 tours
• Opened an office in Chișinău, Moldova

2016–2017 

• Attracted new partners to the project
• Organized 77 tours
• Organized the first corporate tour

2018 

• We organized 104 tours
• Opened an office in Lviv, Ukraine

2019

• Organized 124 tours
• 24 employees
• Received a record profit for the season
• Organized New Year trips for 2,000 tourists to Europe

2020

• Survived the peak of COVID-19
• Launched package tours
• Developed corporate tours and organized 10+ tours per year for TOP IT companies in Ukraine

2021

• Launched the Eurotrips Franchise Agency franchise and opened 4 offices in Ukraine 
• Organized 50 corporate tours 

2022 

• Retained the team 
• Organized the evacuation of 2,000 women and children from East Ukraine after the beginning of the full-scale invasion 
• Raised EUR 100K for volunteer initiatives

2023 

• Fully resumed operations after the start of the full-scale invasion 
• Organized 64 tours 
• Organized trips for 3,000+ tourists to Europe

2024

• Attracted investment from Day8 and entered the global market 

‘We are not resting on our laurels and continue to develop Eurotrip destinations and new collaborations to scale to new markets,’ Mr Yaremkovych comments.

He tells ITKeyMedia that the company is in active negotiations with a number of music festivals across Europe, including Cirque Du Soul on strategic cooperation and joint organization of European tours with exclusive parties from them. Eurotrips’ other partners in this direction include the famous Amsterdam Dance Event and Sziget.

Staying in Ukraine and Growing

Curiously, Eurotrips has not only been able to continue working, but is starting to grow since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the CEO assures, even though a lot has changed in Ukrainian tourism. Seeing how men aged 18 to 60 are currently not allowed to cross the border without special permits, Eurotrips now organizes trips mainly for women who make up 95% of the total clientele.

At that, the core team remains based in Ukraine with offices in Kyiv and Lviv where 80% of Eurotrips employees are located. The rest of the employees are in Poland, the UK, the USA, and Austria.

‘Today, we have 10% of the market and plan to reach 20% this year. The fact that we did not stop for a day and kept working all the time, launched new directions, kept the team and improved processes is paying off and we plan to grow in the coming years,’ Mr Yaremkovych adds.

Tours and Tech

Tech innovation has played a critical part in the company’s success through the years and against all the massive challenges presented by the pandemic and the war. The team constantly monitors trends, watches the market, and implements innovations that can strengthen the company and its services.

In addition to a proprietary booking system, this includes automated processes within the company and active implementation of AI tools.

‘Today, a lot of work in the company is done by artificial intelligence, which helps to save time and focus people’s attention on the main thing. Tour design, advertising creatives, copywriting, video editing, and data analysis: AI often helps us with these tasks,’ Mr Yarmkovych admits.

What the New Partnership Brings

‘At Day 8, our vision is to create extraordinary experiences that spread joy, spark an appreciation for our planet, and inspire curious people to become part of our global family. Investing in EuroTrips was a no-brainer and the experience that their team brings will help supercharge us in this space,’ states Day 8’s CEO Barry Gifford.

With the new partnership, EuroTrips prepares to launch the summer season. The first tours, including nine European routes, are scheduled for the end of May. They range in length from 10 to 37 days, spanning 4 to 14 countries per trip. And collaborations with Yacht Week promise even more excitement for travelers.

‘For example, we are planning to launch exclusive Eurotrips + Yacht Week itineraries, where we will start with a big party in Amsterdam, travel to Paris, Vienna, Milan, Rome, Venice, and then continue the journey with 50 new friends on a floating festive Yacht Week at sea,’ the company shares.

As for the newly raised funds, Eurotrips plans to use them to launch the company into new markets, enhance its marketing efforts, and strengthen its team.

‘We are starting with the UK market. We are located in London with Day8 and from here we will be able to launch to young students as efficiently as possible, but we will not hesitate to expand to the US and Australia. Furthermore, we have conducted preliminary tests and received 1,200 preliminary applications from the US and Australia who are ready to travel with us,’ Mr Yaremkovych specifies.

Additionally, Eurotrips expands its team with focus on product development. According to the company’s CEO, this is meant to improve travel offerings and offer a new approach to travel.