Guided tours are not just about hitting tourist landmarks; they are about listening to voices that know the back alleys of their cities and feeling the pride of people who live there. GetYourGuide, an online platform where travelers book experiences, was born out of that idea. Co‑founder Tao Tao got the seed of the concept when he showed friend Johannes Reck around Beijing as a local student, an experience that sparked the vision of a peer‑to‑peer platform connecting tourists with people who know their city intimately.
Two decades later, the platform links visitors to more than 150,000 experiences run by vetted local operators in over 150 countries. Yet behind this massive marketplace are real people, street‑food entrepreneurs, history buffs, whose stories reveal why personal connection is the heart of travel.
Jump to: Why Travelers Seek Local Voices • Guides From Around the World • The People Behind the Platform • Challenges Behind the Smiles • Why Personal Connection Matters • Conclusion • FAQ
TL;DR
- 89% of travelers prefer exploring with local guides; authenticity and humor top what they value most.
- GetYourGuide empowers over 150,000 local “experience creators” in 150+ countries.
- Real stories: Bangkok’s Puchong, Bruges’ Ann, and Seoul’s Jackie show how passion drives great tours.
- Inside the company, managers act as coaches and partners to help guides thrive.
- Despite digital convenience, the human connection remains GetYourGuide’s defining strength.
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Why Travelers Seek Local Voices
Numbers can tell part of the story. In a 2024 press release, GetYourGuide reported that 89 % of travelers believe a local guide is the best way to explore a destination , while 82 % of international travelers want a local to show them around. Two‑thirds prefer tours led by locals in small groups , suggesting that intimacy matters.
When asked what they look for, most travelers said they value guides who are knowledgeable (74 %), trustworthy (64 %), friendly (52 %) and humorous (31 %). GetYourGuide’s own data underscores this preference; in its Summer 2025 campaign report, the company noted that 98 % of reviews mentioning guides were positive.
Conversely, travelers warn that uninterested or unprepared guides can ruin an otherwise good tour, which is why many rely on platforms like GetYourGuide that provide detailed reviews and insist on working with professional local guides. After each experience, customers are encouraged to leave detailed feedback to help future visitors choose wisely.
These statistics align with my own impressions from traveling: being led around a city by someone who genuinely loves it transforms the visit from a checklist of attractions into an understanding of place. When you meet guides on GetYourGuide, you realize how much passion they bring — and how much work goes into making those connections possible.
Guides From Around the World
Bangkok’s Street‑Food Entrepreneur: Puchong’s Journey
One of the most telling examples comes from Bangkok. Puchong, a former tuk-tuk driver, started offering food tours to share his love of Thai cuisine. Through GetYourGuide, he expanded beyond his original “Michelin Guide Street Food by TukTuk” into experiences like “Floating Market” and “Holy Tattoo,” adjusting cutoff times and refining itineraries with guidance from the platform’s team.
In 2023 alone he collected more than 11,000 reviews with an average score of 4.6. For travelers, Puchong is not just a service provider but a passionate foodie introducing them to fragrant bowls of boat noodles and smoky grilled pork. Spend an evening with him and you’ll likely hear stories of his childhood in Bangkok or the vendors he considers family.
Bruges’ Storyteller: Ann Vandermeeren
In Bruges, local historian Ann Vandermeeren turned her deep affection for her hometown into a 200% business growth. Born and raised in the medieval Belgian city, she designs small-group walking tours that engage all the senses: strolling down cobblestone streets, smelling the fresh fish at the market, and tasting chocolate in hidden courtyards.
She partners with boat operators so guests can float along the canals after walking the streets. When a broken leg forced her off the streets, she hired and trained freelance guides and now oversees a team of sixty. Ann credits her GetYourGuide regional manager with acting as a business coach, helping her improve promotion and manage bookings.
What shines through when you meet her is a commitment to preserving the magic of Bruges and sharing it with others. "I love what I do," she explains simply - and visitors, judging by their rave reviews, love her back.
Divided Histories: The DMZ Tour and a North Korean Defector
One of GetYourGuide’s most unusual experiences is the Seoul DMZ tour that concludes with a conversation with a North Korean defector. After visiting observation points along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, travelers sit down with someone who has escaped one of the world’s most secretive countries.
The tour description promises a raw, unscripted conversation about life under dictatorship, the danger of escape, and the challenges of rebuilding in South Korea. Expert guides facilitate the discussion and weave historical context so that history becomes a living story.
Reviews highlight guide Jackie’s way of making even bus rides entertaining with jokes and personal anecdotes. The result is a tour that is less about war monuments and more about human resilience - a reminder that behind geopolitical headlines are real people with names and dreams.
Downtown LA Through a Belgian Lens
The architecture of downtown Los Angeles may seem an unlikely subject for a Belgian guide, but that cross-cultural perspective is precisely what makes Touch Down in LA's walking tour distinctive. The guide, a Belgian storyteller who has lived in DTLA for years, describes his mission as offering both a global and local perspective, mixing architecture, film and culture.
He calls the experience "conversational" rather than scripted; participants discuss urban design and politics while peering up at Art Deco facades, the Bradbury Building and the Last Bookstore. He records a podcast about downtown, revealing his deep engagement with the neighborhood. Travelers walk away not just with photographs but with an understanding of how immigrants, artists and architects have shaped LA.
Marketing Reach and the American West
Not all guides work alone. David Lusvardi of National Park Express, which runs tours in the American West, credits GetYourGuide for acting “like our marketing department,” giving the small company global reach it couldn’t achieve on its own.
By listing on the platform, his team can concentrate on what they do best—guiding—while the platform handles promotion and customer acquisition. It’s a reminder that behind every listing are small businesses leveraging technology to survive in a competitive tourism market.
The People Behind the Platform
The human stories on the platform are supported by human stories within the company. Alvin, who leads the Thailand supply team, said he joined GetYourGuide to “amplify Asia’s unique narrative,” including launching the DMZ tour with a North Korean defector.
Marlin, a senior account manager, describes her passion as empowering experience creators to thrive and to share unique stories. The company deliberately sets up local offices around the world because having a local presence is the only way to build trust and cultivate strong partnerships with guides.
This commitment to proximity also filters into marketing campaigns; a 2023 bus tour of New York City with actor Leslie Jordan emphasized insider storytelling and unfiltered opinions to show visitors the city’s “true spirit”.
Internally, GetYourGuide calls its suppliers “experience creators” rather than vendors. Employees see themselves as partners and coaches who can help a street‑food vendor like Puchong adjust time slots or a company like National Park Express understand global traveler demand.
The relationship is reciprocal: guides bring authenticity; the platform brings resources. In interviews, team members speak about their roles with a sense of mission, not just as salespeople but as story brokers who help local narratives reach global audiences.
Challenges Behind the Smiles
Being a guide on a global platform is rewarding but demanding. With tens of thousands of experiences listed, guides compete for visibility and must maintain high ratings to stay competitive. Puchong learned to reduce his tour’s cutoff time and optimize his product to secure bookings.
Ann had to reinvent her operation after an injury, hiring and training dozens of guides while ensuring quality remained high. In the DMZ tour, guides navigate sensitive topics and manage emotional conversations ; the success of the experience depends on their empathy and narrative skills. Even the LA guide’s conversational style requires a deep reservoir of knowledge and the ability to adjust to a group’s interests.
Guides must also respond to reviews; the same review system that empowers travelers can pressure guides to perform perfectly every time. Yet, as travelers who have taken poorly guided tours know, this accountability is largely responsible for the platform’s quality.
Why Personal Connection Matters
At the end of the day, a tour is memorable because of who leads it. Travelers repeatedly mention guides' kindness, humor and personal stories. On the LA tour, participants note how much they learned about the history of LA and even its future plans because their guide made complex urban issues relatable. On the DMZ tour, guests describe Jackie as filling bus rides with stories and jokes.
A reviewer of a vegan street-food tour in Mexico City wrote that the guide was knowledgeable and communicated promptly after booking, making the experience smooth and enjoyable. These anecdotes, coupled with survey data showing that travelers value knowledge, trustworthiness and humor, illustrate why personal connection remains irreplaceable.
Guided experiences also foster understanding across cultures. The LA guide's background as a Belgian immigrant gives him a unique perspective on American urban development; the North Korean defector brings a human face to geopolitical tensions.
In Bruges, Ann uses senses to transport guests back in time, while Puchong's street-food tours turn markets into classrooms. All of these guides share a common motivation: to reveal the essence of their home and to ensure visitors leave with more than souvenirs. After meeting them, you realize that platforms like GetYourGuide are less about technology and more about creating space for these human connections.
Conclusion
GetYourGuide’s growth from a student’s vision to a global marketplace illustrates the demand for authentic, locally led experiences. But the platform’s success hinges on the passion of its guides. On people like Puchong, Ann, Jackie and the Belgian storyteller, whose voices transform tours into narratives.
Statistics show that travelers crave local insight and respond to knowledgeable, trustworthy and friendly guides ; reviews confirm that these individuals deliver. As competition intensifies and travelers become ever more discerning, the human side of GetYourGuide will remain its most valuable asset. Because in the end, exploring a city through the eyes of someone who loves it is what makes travel meaningful.
FAQ
How many guides work with GetYourGuide?
Over 150,000 guides and operators in more than 150 countries currently list experiences on the platform.
What makes a good local guide?
Travelers value knowledge, trustworthiness, humor, and passion — qualities that transform a tour into a story.
How does GetYourGuide support its guides?
Regional account managers act as business coaches, helping optimize listings and train new experience creators.
What challenges do guides face?
Maintaining top ratings, competing for visibility, and balancing growth with authenticity.
Why do travelers still prefer human guides?
Because empathy, storytelling, and humor can’t be replaced by an app — they turn sightseeing into connection.