ToursByLocals.com Reaches New Milestone - 50 Local Guides and 100 Tours

    VANCOUVER, BC, January 14, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Since its launch in November of 2008, ToursByLocals has been kept busy talking to local people interested in using the ToursByLocals system to offer their services as private guides. According to Greg Scott, Content Manager for ToursbyLocals, "In the past 2 months, we've received 97 applications and successfully processed 50 of them, with each guide posting an average of 2 tours." Continues Scott, "Our vetting process means that each guide must pass an interview and reference check before being added to the system. We have a number of professional tour guides using the system, but we're particularly pleased to see an increasing number of locals who are using the system to offer 'their' experience in the place they live."

As you might expect, ToursByLocals offers an eclectic selection of tours. As well as sightseeing tours, guides are encouraged to offer tours that reflect their interests and passions. Says Scott, "We suggest each guide offer a tour that they might do if a friend was visiting for the first time. But we also encourage them to offer something out of the ordinary. The tours each guide lists on their profile are just suggestions and travelers can always contact the guide if they have a special request."

Some of the current offerings that fall into the 'unusual' category include a young Brazilian man from Belo Horizonte who will take you to the local stadium where you will experience the madness of 106,000 people at a Brazilian soccer match. Or an Icelandic guide who will take you to the best place to see the Northern Lights. Another tour features a young Russian woman from Rybinsk who will take you on a tour of her traditional Russian village.

New guides and tours are being added on a daily basis.

For more information, visit http://www.ToursByLocals.com. The tours mentioned above can be accessed as follows:

Brazilian Soccer Game - http://www.ToursByLocals.com/belohorizontefootballgame
Northern Lights in Iceland - http://www.ToursByLocals.com/NorthernLights
Russian Village Tour - http://www.ToursByLocals.com/RussianVillageTour

About ToursByLocals
Launched in November, 2008, ToursByLocals.com helps travelers get a better travel experience while directly benefiting the people who provide those travel experiences. Our traveler customers want to do unique things, experience the reality of a place and its culture through the eyes of a local person. They have a sense of adventure, are socially conscious and want to see their travel spending directly benefit the people who live in the communities they visit.

Our tours guides want to earn income by providing the experiences travelers are seeking. They are entrepreneurial, passionate people who are proud of the place they live. We serve those already in the travel industry as well as people who may not have been able to participate before.

We provide these services through ToursByLocals.com. The website offers a convenient way for tour guides to promote their travel services and availability and for travelers to search for suitable tours and find out how other travelers rated them. We handle the marketing of the tours, booking process, customer service, payment processing and forwarding of money onto the tour guide.

For further information, contact: Paul Melhus
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 604 688-0914

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