Skift Take
In a shift away from traditional tourist hubs, private tour guides nurture small group experiences in less-popular cities to grow their business organically.
The appeal of France's Paris or Portugal's Lisbon often overshadows cities like Nice or Faro. However, lesser-known cities are seeing new demand as summer travel hits its stride.
The surge in travel to record highs means crowds of tourists, long queues, and the in-destination stress and congestion that goes along with it. These second-tier cities offer culture and attractions without the crowds, according to Matthijs Keij, CEO of Withlocals.
Withlocals has expanded to 106 such cities in 2023, with the booking revenue growth in these new cities doubling from 6% in April to 12% in June.
"Our average revenue per booking is higher by 30% in these cities compared to the bigger cities in Europe like Paris and Rome," said Withlocals chief growth officer Shradha Bhatia.
Bhatia outlined how Withlocals no longer needs to compete in the overcrowded first-tier cities of Paris or Barcelona for example, with demand for private tours in more second-tier cities such as Nice or Malaga decreasing its reliance on these popular destinations, as o