A sharing economy on trips

a_sharing_economy

WHO CEO and co-founder of Triip.me, Ha Lam, spent over eight years in the travel industry and used to be the tour guide for many international friends visiting Ho Chi Minh City.

Ha said: “I enjoy bringing joy and happiness to every single friend I meet and that is one of the reasons why I founded Triip in 2013 – to bring happiness to travellers and local experts whenever and wherever we travel.”

WHAT According to Ha, Triip is a pioneer in the tour sector that makes use of the sharing economy space.

On the Triip.me portal, any ordinary person can turn into an amateur tour guide overnight, as they are given the liberty to create a tourism package, subjected to review first, then sell it to tourists directly on the website. Once the tourist has successfully booked the trip, he or she can arrange a meeting or pick-up directly with the creator of the itinerary – anywhere that both can agree on.

Once a tour is paid for, Triip distributes 90 per cent of the earnings to the tour guide and retains 10 per cent to support its own operations.

Ha said the portal is not about making money, but about connecting people, sharing experiences, localising travel and preserving culture.

WHY Explaining the challenges travellers often face in their search for authentic experiences, Ha said: “The locals are actually the ones that know best, so Triip.me not only promotes local entrepreneurship but also forms friendships and fosters greater cultural awareness.”

By tapping on the locals’ knowledge and expertise, Ha said the website aims to boost the local economy by allowing locals to profit from the innovation, while sharing authentic tourism experiences with the rest of the world.

She said: “These locals know their cities inside out, and are full of unique stories that cannot be heard elsewhere. Some can show you their exciting city life, while others may be passionate about the local traditions and customs and can share a ‘do what the locals do’ experience.”

TARGET According to Ha, there are currently 3,314 tours offered on Triip.me, with the most coming from countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Australia, Peru, Germany and Spain.

With her sights set on the international audience, Ha said: “Thirty per cent of travellers today belong to the FIT segment and this innovation has been growing steadily since we started over the past few years.”

“With the popularity of the sharing economy space today, this is a trend that will catch on very quickly across the world,” Ha added.

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