Season 5 Finale: The Visionary Behind Viator

Jul 17, 2025

Rod Cuthbert, the visionary founder of Viator, shares his remarkable journey from Tasmania to transforming the travel landscape. He reveals how a chance project in e-commerce led to creating the world’s leading platform for booking experiences. Rod emphasizes the shift in consumer values towards experiences over possessions and predicts AI will revolutionize travel distribution. He also discusses the evolution of the tour industry and offers candid advice for startups, drawing on his rich entrepreneurial journey.

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ANECDOTE

Viator's Origin Story

Rod Cuthbert pivoted from building software for Sabre to launching Viator after Sabre didn't need the product.
They decided to sell tours directly to consumers instead of through travel agents, anticipating disintermediation.

INSIGHT

Experiences Over Possessions

Experiences began to outweigh possessions around 2000, shifting consumer travel priorities.
Viator empowered innovative local tour operators, elevating tours from an afterthought to a travel motivator.

ANECDOTE

Rome2Rio Success Story

Rod invested in Rome2Rio after meeting its founding engineers struggling to raise funds.
This journey planner became hugely popular, ranking 19th globally with 50 million monthly visits.

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The travel industry was forever changed when Rod Cuthbert founded Viator in 1995, revolutionizing how travelers discover and book experiences worldwide. In this season finale of Travel Trends, the visionary founder shares his extraordinary journey from Tasmania to Silicon Valley and beyond.

Rod recounts how a serendipitous twist of fate - developing an e-commerce solution for Sabre that went unused - sparked the creation of what would become the world’s leading experiences marketplace. At a time when guided tours were dismissed as outdated, Rod identified a shift in consumer priorities: experiences were beginning to outweigh possessions. By creating a platform for innovative tour operators to quickly reach consumers, Viator helped elevate the entire category from afterthought to the very reason people travel.

After selling Viator to TripAdvisor for $200 million in 2014, Rod continued to drive travel innovation with ventures like Rome2Rio (a transportation search engine) and Veltra (Japan’s leading tour booking platform). Renowned for his candid advice to startups—earning him the nickname "the Simon Cowell of judges" - Rod offers invaluable insights into the future of the industry. His bold prediction? Artificial intelligence will disrupt travel distribution, empowering suppliers to reclaim direct customer relationships and challenging the OTA model that has dominated for decades.

This conversation delivers rare insights from a pioneer who didn’t just observe the industry’s transformation - he led it.

Over the course of 27 episodes, we were honored to feature more than 30 extraordinary guests, each bringing unique perspectives and valuable expertise to the table. From groundbreaking innovations to strategies redefining the future, this season showcased the very best of what the travel industry has to offer. We couldn’t be more thankful for your support in making it all possible. And the excitement doesn’t end here! Subscribe now and join us for season six this September, as we continue to explore how industry leaders are shaping the future of travel for 2026 and beyond.

👉 Listen to Season 5 Finale: The Visionary Behind Viator Now

🔥 Season 5 Title Sponsors: TravelAI, Stay22, Propellic, Flight Centre, Collette, Flywire, Traveltek and Protect Group

The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. Season 5 In Progress.

https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/