South African startup Tour2.0, which connects local and international tourists looking for unique cultural and community experiences with local guides, is expanding nationwide from its Johannesburg base.
Launched in 2013, Tour2.0 is now expanding beyond Johannesburg to offer experiences in a variety of urban and rural centres across the whole of South Africa.
Having facilitated a large number of visitor experiences within the various communities that it has a presence in, Tour2.0 now allows tourists to meet the Nama people in the Richtersveld Community Conservancy, get a view of the true pulse of Port Elizabeth, catch a tuk tuk in Soweto, or simply walk through an ancient forest.
The startup will be launching more experiences during the remainder of 2016 and early 2017, and is also looking at expanding into adjacent territories.
“What’s key for us is that the authenticity of each experience, we achieve this by ensuring that the guides we use are local and that the community in which the tour takes place is also involved in each tour. This way our clients’ get the authentic local experience they seek and the community directly benefits from each visitor that experiences what they have to offer,” said Daniel Adidwa, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) at Tour2.0.
“What’s rewarding is the positive light that our clients’ view the communities where their experiences are hosted, which can be evidenced in the posts they make about their experiences, as well as the fact that our company is actively contributing to the creation of local sustainable jobs within the communities with which we work,” said fellow co-founder and head of experience Ismail Chibgwe.
The majority of Tour2.0’s clients are made up of international visitors holidaying in South Africa and companies looking for activities for their team building needs and expat acclimatisation.
“We believe we are gaining traction because we have made it simpler for visitors to discover and book authentic local experiences and because all the experiences on our platform are vetted according to our rigorous standards,” said Adidwa.
“This way our clients know that a Tour2.0 experience is local, authentic and beneficial to all parties involved – not to mention and experience that will leave them and their view of South Africa forever changed.”
