Fora Raises $60 Million At Nearly $1 Billion Valuation

Travel startup Fora has raised $60 million in fresh Series D funding, lifting the company to a $1 billion valuation and underscoring investor conviction in a business model built around the modernization of travel advising.

A Platform Built For Both Sides Of The Market

Founded in 2021, Fora operates a two-sided platform designed to streamline the travel planning process. On one side, it gives aspiring travel advisors the tools and infrastructure to start selling trips, including client communications and itinerary management. On the other, it helps travelers find and work with advisors for trips ranging from honeymoons to family vacations in destinations such as Costa Rica and Thailand.

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The latest round was led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, with participation from Insight Partners and Thrive Capital. Fora said it has now raised $138.5 million to date.

AI Is Being Positioned As A Force Multiplier

Part of the new capital will go toward expanding Via, Fora’s AI assistant, which is built to handle repetitive administrative work such as research and itinerary creation. The company’s goal is not to replace human advisors, but to make them more productive by freeing up time for higher-value work, including relationship building and client service.

That strategy reflects a broader enterprise logic now shaping AI adoption across industries: automation is most valuable when it removes low-leverage tasks and amplifies skilled human labor, rather than attempting a full replacement.

Growth Is Coming From New Talent And Rising Demand

Fora said agents on its platform have booked more than $3 billion in travel since launch, with most of those advisors coming into the business without prior travel-industry experience. That is a notable signal for a category historically limited by barriers to entry and fragmented tooling.

The company also plans to use the new funding to expand into adjacent travel categories, including cruises and flights, as it looks to deepen its role in the broader travel ecosystem.

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Cyprus Expects More French Visitors In 2027 As Air Capacity Expands

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 18, 2026

Cyprus expects more French visitors in 2027 as airlines increase capacity between the two countries, Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis said after meetings with tour operators in Paris.

France, one of Cyprus’ key tourism markets, has had a difficult 2026. French arrivals fell 46% year over year to 8,453 in August, from 15,663 a year earlier, according to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (Cystat). August arrivals were also nearly 50% below the 16,798 recorded in the same month of 2024.

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Overall, Cyprus received 2.82 million tourist arrivals between January and August, down 7% from the same period in 2025.

Air Connectivity Supports 2027 Outlook

Koumis discussed the 2027 outlook with senior executives from tour operators offering Cyprus holidays during the IFTM Top Resa travel trade fair in Paris.

Higher air capacity between France and Cyprus was a key focus of the talks. Participants also discussed the impact of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on the French market and Cyprus’ efforts to adapt its tourism offering to French travelers.

“The French market is undoubtedly an extremely important market for our country’s tourism,” Koumis said, adding that France had regained importance only a few years ago and still had room to grow.

Improved air connectivity will be an important factor in that expansion, according to Koumis. “It is now clear that air connectivity between France and Cyprus is improving significantly, which is a basic prerequisite for the further growth of the market,” he said.

Cyprus Promotes Tourism And Regional Cooperation

Koumis attended the opening of IFTM Top Resa at the invitation of French Tourism Minister Serge Papin, who later visited the Cyprus stand. Held from Sept. 15 to 17 at Paris Porte de Versailles, the event brought together more than 32,000 tourism professionals representing 177 destinations and 1,650 brands, according to organizers.

During his visit, Koumis also met Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy. Cyprus and Egypt reaffirmed their tourism cooperation and discussed opportunities to strengthen ties further.

French media interviews covered Cyprus’ tourism offering, infrastructure and services, along with efforts to develop specialized tourism products. Regional instability weighed on arrivals in 2026, particularly during the spring, although the decline narrowed over the summer.

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