Withlocals has completed an €8M (£6.8m) Series B funding round, led by Keen Venture Partners, a VC firm focused on Series A and B funding based in London, and Inkef Capital, a VC firm capital firm focusing on active support of innovative technology companies, based in Amsterdam.

“We believe Withlocals is tapping into a large latent demand of ‘experiential depth’ for travelling, that breaks away from the cookie-cutter mould of holiday offerings,” said Robert Verwaayen, general partner at Keen. “With great momentum the company is able to pull off a paradox: delivering uniquely personal experiences at scale.”

Withlocals is a Dutch marketplace that connects thousands of travellers with local hosts in over 30 cities in Europe and Asia, offering private tours and activities based on travellers’ preferences, and giving them the opportunity to experience the city as a local.

To make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for and narrow down their search, Withlocals’ website has six different categories to choose from: Food Tours and Tasting; Home Dinners; Day Tour; Family Friendly; Night Tour; and Workshops, with various adventures to choose from, depending on the city.

“Withlocals offers a welcome alternative to standard tours and skip-the-line tickets with personalised and unique experiences,” said Withlocals CEO Matthijs Keij. “This new round of funding will help us to connect more people and cultures, to offer broader and more localised range of experiences.”

The funding will be used to strengthen the community of local hosts, as they are an important part of the Withlocals experience. It is down to them to give travellers the best experience of their city, by showing them local food, street art, and music, and providing them with information about the city and its history.

Withlocals will use the funds to open up new destinations, and also expand its presence in the 30 cities across Europe and Asia, where it already operates, including Lisbon, Prague, Barcelona, Budapest and Hong Kong.