tourHQ Releases Its Inaugral Travel Trends Report Along With the 2018 Global Guide Awards
HONG KONG, March 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- tourHQ, a leading travel marketplace connecting travelers and guides globally, has announced its third consecutive year of the Global Guide Awards 2018.
The awards felicitate top private tour guides around the world based on traveler reviews for the services rendered. Along with the awards the company has released its inaugural travel trends report that reveal some interesting trends in the private guiding sphere.
The maximum number of travelers on tourHQ requesting for private guides last year came from the United States of America, followed by countries in Europe and Australia, indicative that travelers from countries with a higher per capita GDP are more interested in spending on private guides.
These travelers' destinations were primarily focused on Asia, with India garnering the highest proportion of inbound tourists. The guides in these countries in many cases not only provide their guiding services, but also offer planning and logistical support such as arranging transportation, hotels etc. This demonstrates the higher perceived requirement for guides in Asian countries.
Certain culturally and geographically diverse countries such as India, Indonesia and South Africa also saw a significant proportion of domestic tourists; in these countries over 50% of the travelers were locals looking to explore their own country. Here, the motivation to hire a guide was not based on language barriers but on the authentic need to learn more about one's own country, culture and heritage. There was an increased desire to travel in smaller groups; in fact solo travelers accounted for over 25% of the travel requests, with again India and South East Asia garnering a lion's share of the solo travelers.
Some interesting trends were also seen in certain countries such as Greece and Germany. Almost 30% of the travelers to these countries booked their guide only after having reached the destination. These travelers initially felt they could manage on their own, but then felt the need for local expert guides to enhance the quality of their vacation.
The Global Guide Awards seem to toe the line on these observations as well; of the top ten guides, Asia led the way with 4 guides, followed by two each from Africa and South America, and one from Europe and the United States of America.
tourHQ is extremely optimistic on the growth prospects in the private guide industry. As Vandana Om Kumar, founder tourHQ, points out "People are traveling a lot more, and want to experience their destination like a local. This is best achieved with a qualified local guide."
The detailed travel trends report and the awards are available online at www.tourHQ.com
About tourHQ: tourHQ started its operations in 2013 and is a leading online tour guiding marketplace, where travelers can choose from over guides 26,000 guides and 1,900 tour operators in over 4600 destinations worldwide. It provides travelers with easy and direct access to tour guides in the country they were traveling to. Travelers can contact these private local guides, and book fully customized trips with them.
Press Contact:
Abhishek Jha
Phone: +65 9787 3919
email: [email protected]
SOURCE tourHQ Ltd
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