Tripadvisor Group 'sharpens' focus on experiences with new Viator president and COO

It comes after a full year of profitability for the brand in 2024

Tripadvisor announced leadership changes for Viator, earlier this week.

The experiences marketplace named Pepijn Rijvers as the new president, effective April 1, 2025, while Kristin Dorsett has been promoted to the role of chief operating officer. 

Prior to joining Viator, Rijvers spent more than 12 years at Booking.com, where he helped build and scale the accommodations marketplace. 

He held executive roles including chief marketing officer and SVP, managing director of global hotels and accommodations. 

Dorsett has led multiple parts of Viator's supply and technology organisations before being promoted up, including chief product offiicer.

In this new role, Dorsett will focus on strategy execution and operational excellence across the broader Viator business.

Rijvers will report to Matt Goldberg, president and CEO of Tripadvisor Group, and Dorsett will report to Rijvers.

The move comes as the group plans to "sharpen" its focus on experiences - following a year of healthy growth and profitability at Viator with $840 million in revenue and approximately $4.2 billion in gross bookings value - which it believes it is "uniquely positioned to extend its lead" in.

"Experiences are central to the group's strategy, and Viator has strong momentum as the leader in this fast-growing category," said Matt Goldberg, president and CEO of Tripadvisor Group. 

"Pepijn's deep industry expertise, proven success in scaling marketplaces, and background across product, supply, marketing, and data make him the ideal leader to advance our group-wide experiences strategy. 

"With Viator leading the way, we'll continue to strengthen our position in the category and deliver even greater value to travelers and partners."

Pepijn Rijvers, incoming president of Viator, added: "This category is transforming – moving from a fragmented offline past, to a seamless online future.

"Viator is in a prime position to lead that shift, powered by an exceptional team, the world's biggest and best collection of experiences, and the unique strengths of the Tripadvisor Group."

He said: "I look forward to leveraging this momentum to cement our position as a global leader in the space."