Tourpreneur Tour Business Podcast Selling Tours Through Guide Platforms: Advice, Trends, and Challenges
Jun 16, 2025
Lisa Chen, CEO of ToursByLocals, and Sherif Abiza, Chief Community Officer of Withlocals, discuss critical themes in the tour guide industry. They tackle guide poaching and emphasize the need for trust and integrity among platforms. The duo highlights the importance of personal connections and adopting a marketing mindset for guides. They also delve into leveraging video content to enhance guide visibility and the rising influence of social media in travel. Their passion for sustainable tourism shines through as they advocate for collaboration to elevate local tour experiences.
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Guides Are Core to Platforms
- Tour guides are the core of guide platforms, more than just the tours themselves.
- Platforms aim to connect travelers with guides for meaningful local experiences.
Guide Poaching Incident
- Airbnb was found contacting guides on other platforms using unauthorized emails to recruit them.
- This incident triggered public attention and a call for integrity in the industry.
Platforms Serve Guides' Business
- Platforms are often seen as greedy middlemen, but this overlooks their true value.
- Good platforms serve entrepreneurs and enable tour guides' sustainable businesses.