The Expertise form is part of the new host profile, which aims to make it easier for you to be matched as a host with suitable Withlocals Originals experiences according to your skills & preferences.
You can access the new form from your host homepage:
In the form, you can select all topics on which you are knowledgeable and can deliver experiences on. They can be topics you studied formally or on your own, as long as you have interesting insights to share.
If you previously filled in your Passions section in the old host profile, the passions you selected there have been transferred in the new form. You can remove those topics which you are passionate about but not knowledgeable enough to deliver a tour on, and you can add further expertises as needed.
After the form is filled, you can save & exit. The updated selection will be reflected on your homepage. The form can be edited multiple times, as needed.
Why is this information being collected?
This information will help our platform easily match hosts with the right tours (e.g. hosts who can do bike tours will be recommended to join bike tours). The automatic experience recommendation tool for hosts will be built by our team in the next period, to give hosts more independence to join Withlocals Originals experiences.
Will this information affect my host offers?
No, this information is only connected to Withlocals Originals experiences. On your own host offers, you can still select any of the available transport modes.
Will selecting a certain expertise mean I am automatically part of the tours on that topic?
Under each expertise, you will see the types of tours it applies too. The expertise you select will be taken into account in the future when recommending each host suitable Withlocals Originals experiences to join. For example, if a host selected history as their expertise, they will be offered to join History Tours, or Museum Tours. Keep in mind that some tours may require an certain expertise together with a valid license, so make sure your licenses form is also up to date.
Will my expertises be visible to guests on my public profile?
For now, the expertises will not be visible to guests. They will be taken into account in the future when recommending each host suitable Withlocals Originals experiences to join.
What is the difference between passions and expertise?
The passions initiative we launched previously aimed to match hosts and guests based on common interests. Those interests were far-ranging, and sometimes not directly related to hosting experiences. With expertise, we aim to highlight the hosts knowledge and skills, and make it easier for hosts to join the right experiences.
The passions section in your public profile will be kept for now and may be fully replaced with the expertise in the future.