TOURie: A Contemporary Approach to Discover and Connect with New Cultures Business Plan for a Tour Guide Platform

TOURie is the door to another world. By connecting “travelers” to “local guides/local experts” through this platform, we make unexplored corners of the world more accessible, opening up different cultural experiences for both international and local travelers, and providing business and social opportunities for “local experts”. I firmly believe that there are many “local experts” that have built emotional and in depth perspectives over time on their own local culture(s) that they would like to share with others. Travelers could use the TOURie platform to connect with new people and not always succumb to generic tours as a result of language barriers or limited tour selections. TOURie hopes to bring a customizable experience that can satisfy the needs of each individual’s unique preferences. Connecting with local experts will provide a unique tour that is refreshing in perspective, allowing for an exclusive and intimate cultural experience. This platform will provide opportunity for travelers and local experts to connect, support and share passions and appreciate the uniqueness of each other’s experiences. The focus will be primarily on 1-Day tours in Taiwan and gradually spread to the greater Asian market for the first few years to test run the TOURie platform, eventually expanding to cities worldwide. Using data gathered from various sources such as the National Census 2014, showing Asia’s high and growing population in recent years of expats along with tourism figures. Translating the data collected, the Asian market shows signs of growth and a constantly increasing necessity for cultural mingling and expanding the understanding of different parts of Asian culture. This gelling of cultures where east meets west, and vice versa, is inevitable and should be viewed as opportunity to bring people closer. With the convenience of modern day media and social communication, this has never been easier. As we move forward with the TOURie platform, safety concerns are addressed from all aspects ranging from how guides are selected, monitoring, customer feedback, along with other rules and regulations. Market data is studied to help determine our approach towards the tourism industry and how we plan to market our platform. We also touch on how TOURie hopes to grow along with future plans to add further value and provide greater service and selection to all our customers.