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 2700 private tour guides in 159 countries.
ToursByLocals was one of the originators of the "peer to peer" travel model. Founded in 2008 by Paul Melhus and Dave Vincent, the company initially focused on the basic function of connecting travellers with local guides via an online platform, relying on peer reviews to establish quality control measures. The company has since evolved to offering more closely managed, curated tour content.
The company is a member of the Local Travel Movement, which aims to connect independent and mindful travellers with local people and local experiences. It is a proponent of responsible tourism; through its business model, ToursByLocals aims to deliver more tourist dollars directly to independent tour guides, filtering those dollars through to local economies.
The company experienced some controversy in 2016, when local media in Vancouver criticized its practice of offering tours of the city's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, contending that these tours were insensitive to the local homeless population.
ToursByLocals continues to be cited by travel media as one of the industry leaders in peer-to-peer tour guiding services.
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Source of article : Wikipedia
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