What is ‘By locals for locals’?
Through in-depth research and data analysis, Withlocals has come up with the concept ‘By Locals for Locals’. These are experiences targeted for local people to re-discover their city or country during the time in which the best way to travel, is local!
Why is Withlocals prioritizing these experiences?
The travel and tourism industry has changed dramatically in 2020. However humans are still nomads at heart and even if crossing borders isn’t possible, having experiences in their own country is!
What kind of experiences will be offered?
We have all been affected in some way by COVID-19, what better way to help the local economy and community than connecting local hosts with local travelers when of course it is deemed safe to do so. Withlocals will concentrate on memorable Host Offers that really offer educational and in-depth experiences and induce cultural pride.
What are local travelers looking for right now?
- Hygiene & Safety First! - Click Here to read more!
- Value for money - Local tourists are less likely to be looking to ‘splash the cash’ and look for experiences that won’t put a big hole in their pockets.
- Learning experiences - Locals already know the basics of their city and country. They are looking for more educational experiences to enjoy with their close family or friends and for local experts!
- Cultural Pride - We all have an inner patriot inside of us. Local guests want to hear about all the interesting and amazing stories about their culture, that they might not know all about.
- Connection - After isolation, people are looking to reconnect with their family and friends through experiences, games, workshops, and city explorations.
- Personalization - A key element to all Withlocals experiences, however, it is even more relevant for local travelers as expertise levels vary. For some, they might want to go more in-depth than others.
How can I ensure to offer a memorable experience to locals?
- Speak the language - It is essential that the hosts speak the local language fluently and have a deep understanding of the local culture.
- Understand the guest - It’s important to reach out to guests before the tour, in order to understand their expectations, & current knowledge and passion about the topic of the tour,, so you can adjust the extent of information or expertise you share. EG (Cooking class - are guests beginners or knowledgeable cooks already?).
- Hygiene - Ensure to be prepared with hand-sanitizer, a mask & keep the 1.5 recommended distance (read more about the hygiene policy here).
- Expertise - It’s important that hosts are an expert in the field that they do experience in (Cooking Class = passionate cook, Photography Workshop = professional photographer, Art Gallary = Art historian).
- Availability - Hosts accept instant confirmation and have same-day availability - as most guests will book more last minute
- Sustainable - People are becoming more conscious of the environment, this must be considered in creating the experience to be as non-detrimental to the environment as possible (read more here).
Creating By locals for locals Host Offers on the platform
- Language - All experiences should be written in English, they will be translated by Withlocals into the local language
- Templates - Templates will be shared by Withlocals to hosts to help them create good and detailed copy for the host offer
- Guidelines - Guidelines per category will be shared with hosts. These are to help hosts create successful experiences. They are based on in-depth research by the Withlocals team.
- Photos - Hosts are expected to upload photos to their experiences according to THESE GUIDELINES.
Aside from that, the procedure is the same as uploading host offers, they should be done fully and to the best of your ability. Click Here to review the process.
If you are a host for Withlocals and are interested or have ideas of experiences that could work for local travelers, please contact us on hosts@withlocals.com