Fora, an AI-based travel agency, raised $60 million in a Series D round and received a $1 billion valuation. TechCrunch reported on July 16 local time that Forerunner and Tactile Ventures led the investment, with Insight Partners and Thrive Capital also participating.

Founded in 2021, Fora is a platform that connects travel advisors and users. It provides infrastructure for people looking to start as travel advisors, including tools for customer communication and trip planning. For users, it helps them find and communicate with an advisor suited to itineraries such as honeymoons or family trips. Fora's total funding raised increased to $138.5 million.

Fora plans to use part of the funds to expand its AI assistant, Via. Via supports administrative tasks such as researching travel advisors on the platform and creating itineraries. Fora said it aims to boost productivity rather than replace advisors with AI, so advisors can spend more time building customer relationships.

Since the service launched, the value of travel booked by advisors on Fora's platform has exceeded $3 billion. Fora said many of the advisors using the platform are newcomers starting out in travel advising.

Fora plans to use the funds secured in the latest investment to increase hiring and expand into other travel areas, including cruises and airlines.