ToursByLocals
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
|---|---|
Key people | Lisa Chen, CEO and President, Paul Melhus and Dave Vincent, Co-Founders |
| Products | Private tours, local travel experiences |
Number of employees | 190 |
| Website | toursbylocals |
ToursByLocals is a Canadian-based, international private tour provider. Headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Buenos Aires, Kuala Lumpur and Glasgow, the company serves upwards of 400,000 clients a year, connecting them with over 5000 private tour guides in 170 countries and 2000 locations.[1]
The company is a member of the Local Travel Movement,[2] which aims to connect independent and mindful travellers with local people and local experiences.[3][failed verification]
History
Founded in 2008 by Paul Melhus
The company actively recruits independent local guides in new locations globally, and currently accepts roughly 1 in 9 applications after a multi-stage screening and interview process.
In January 2020, ToursByLocals announced $33 million in series A funding with Austin, Texas-based growth capital fund Tritium Partners. Funds from the round will be used for enhancements in user experience, technology, marketing and recruiting more talent.[9][10][11][12]
References
- ^ "ToursByLocals - Private Tours By Local Guides". www.toursbylocals.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "Local TravelLocal Guides & Tours | Local Travel". www.localtravelmovement.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ "Gaucho For A Day, Argentina - Rough Guides". www.roughguides.com.
- ^ "Canada's biggest entrepreneurial demographic sport a few grey hairs". Financial Post. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ "Private guide the cheapest way to see the sites" – via The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Peer to Peer Activities: So Many New Options - Travel Adventures in the Sharing Economy". 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Touring With A Local In Budapest". 11 January 2015.
- ^ Levine, Irene S. "From homes to meals to cars, 'sharing' has changed the face of travel".
- ^ "Vancouver couple's online travel venture hits $100-million valuation with private equity financing". Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "ToursByLocals snaps up its first funding, C$33M, to link sightseers with guides globally". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "Vancouver's ToursByLocals lands $33m investment". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "ToursByLocals survives decade of bootstrapping, raises $33M to accelerate growth | PhocusWire". www.phocuswire.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.