Free tour providers increased 170% worldwide in 2018

The free tour business model saw exponential growth in 2018, with at least 543 new providers of free walking tours & free guided activities across the globe, a 170% increase on the previous year, according to the first and leading free tour booking platform, FREETOUR.com.

Collectively, these new tour operators created 670 new free tours which were added to the FREETOUR.com stock, a 91% rise from 2017. There was also a substantial increase in new free tour products created by existing providers who already had one or more offerings on the platform in 2018.

77 existing tour providers added 146 new free tours, up 265% from 2017, putting the total number of new free tours & guided activities made available worldwide in 2018 at 816, a 109% increase on the previous year.

According to FREETOUR.com CEO, Ivan Reina, the surge in demand for free tours globally is being “driven by a new generation of travellers who bring a significant shift in attitude towards the free tour model”, something he attributes to “a general normalisation of the sharing economy, a wider culture of change in the dynamics that traditionally govern customer & supplier roles, and a familiarity with disruptors in different sectors”.

The Free Tour concept is not particularly new, having been sporadically available in some key destinations in Europe since a little over a decade and a half ago. It works on a ‘pay-what-you-like’ basis; participants are free to tip their tour-guide whatever amount they feel the tour was worth at the end of the tour experience. What is relatively more recent, however, is the uptake of free tours among millennials and the resulting demand for increased supply globally.

“This generation of travellers are now quite familiar with the idea of disrupting the norm” says Reina, “they’ve seen Airbnb arrive as a new way to stay, they’ve seen Uber become a normal alternative to taxis so, for them, the idea of doing something differently – like paying what they want for a tour after the experience rather than paying a set amount up front – is not such a radical concept”.

“Not only are Millennials seeking out more non-traditional, independent experiences”, observes Reina, “they’re also very clued-in to the benefits of travelling smart – two boxes that the free tour model firmly tick”.

According to Reina, free tours have made connecting with “authentic locals for top-quality guided experiences on the ground super easy”, but they’ve also placed trust in the customer – removing the risk involved for them and empowering them to make the most of their valuable time in a new place.
And it’s working. Indeed, the 109% increase in the amount of free tours on offer in just one year and the 170% increase in new free tour providers on the FREETOUR.com platform is a big indicator that the concept not only works but is very worthwhile for tour operators too who are rising to travellers expectations of free tours as a smarter alternative, without the risk of a lesser quality experience.

“It’s better for the traveller”, says Reina, “the guides are excellent, even greater than you might expect on a traditional paid tour. After all, they’ve got to be exceptional to earn a high valuation and make money, there’s no more room for guide complacency”.

The 816 new free tours registered in 2018 were created by a mix of existing tour operators, both local and multinational outfits, many of whom already offer traditional paid tours, and individual local guides creating their first ever tour offering. The trend is global too, with new free tours appearing not only in traditional key tourist destinations, but also in second and third cities, and even smaller satellite towns.

It’s not just general overviews or history & heritage tours either. Although those tours are performing very strongly, according to Reina, many of the new free tours registered in 2018 cover a broad range of topics and themes – reflecting the desire among millennial travellers for non-traditional and experiential offerings.

There’s a lot of variety coming into free tours now too. “We’re now getting really cool tours with a focus on different aspects of local culture: free food and craft beer tours, free mythology tours, and lots of alternative themes like free graffiti tours, live music tours, nightlife tours”, says Reina.

Free tours also cover topics that are unique to the particular place – for example, the new free Jack the Ripper tour in London, or the free tour of Comuna 13 in Medellin, Colombia, which details the transition from a notoriously violent Barrio to one of colour, hope, and progress.

“We love the idea that wherever you go, there can be an excellent free tour there to help you really get under the skin of the place, access authentic experiences, and real local insight and knowledge with passionate local guides”, proclaims Reina.

The success of the free tour concept so far is clear; the growth in demand in recent years, particularly the acceleration in growth in 2018 that saw a 170% increase in providers nearly doubling the free tour offering globally, demonstrates that the concept is working and is sustainable.

Giving the traveller control over the value for money ratio, removing the burden of risk from the user, and providing a strong customer-base for free tour operators who are exceeding expectations in their offerings has proved to be a winning formula for FREETOUR.com. While the city-tour market is a huge pie, the free tour is just starting to savour its first slice; time will tell if the traditional paid city-tour, however, may already have had its fill.

Find more information about the free tour concept here https://www.freetour.com/concept/about-free-tours

FREETOUR.com (https://www.freetour.com/) is the leading online booking platform for free tours and activities around the world. Powered by an international team of travel experts, our mission is to make real local culture and authentic, quality experiences easily accessible for more travelers - including walking tours by local guides, food and beverage tours, tickets to the most iconic attractions, adventure offerings and many other free and budget things to do in over 100 countries.

Freetour.com GmbH
Baarerstrasse 75
6300 Zug
Switzerland

Media Contact:
Kristina Kinson - PR Manager
business@freetour.com
Phone: +353 87 194 3178

This release was published on openPR.