If there's one thing we at Tourpreneur have learned about running an online community, it's how important it is to have in-person gatherings to anchor the online conversations in the friendships that develop in-person.

So far this year we've welcomed nearly 1,000 people to our small group "Shindigs" (meetups) held all around the world.

And we're planning on more, plus launching a brand new style of conference for the whole industry, TourWeek.

So in this special episode, Mitch, Peter and TP Head of Events Kyle Campbell sit down for a chat about the importance of tour operators meeting up together in-person and how we want YOU to join or host an in-person gathering!

How do we design experiences that use photography to enhance the guided experience, and not detract from feeling engaged and immersed? That's the question Mitch Bach posed in this Tourpreneur episode.

Mikaela Toczek is the perfect person to answer that questions. She's the founder of More to Explore in Slovenia, which combines her background as a documentary photographer and photojournalism educator with her passion for guiding to create tours that explore Slovenia's lesser-known areas.

Having moved to Slovenia with her family and launched her business three years ago, she deliberately focuses on areas without established tourism infrastructure, taking small groups of eight people to places that offer authentic connections with local hosts and providers.

Her approach to tours integrates what she calls "conscious photography" - a philosophy rooted in her experience using medium format film cameras that have only 12 shots per roll, forcing intentional, reflective image-making rather than mindless smartphone snapping. This photographic mindfulness becomes woven throughout her tour experiences, helping guests balance capturing memories with being fully present in Slovenia's stunning natural landscapes.

Don't forget to join us for TourWeek, Tourpreneur's global event for tour operators! More at tourweek.travel

**Don't forget to register for our upcoming conference: TourWeek, Nov 10-13!**

The whole TP gang of Mitch, Peter, Chris and Kyle were in London together recently for a Tourpreneur party. And our friends at GetYourGuide emailed and said—hey, while you're in London, do you want to take a tour?

We said, sure! When we asked what it was, they said: trust us, this is a good one.

They weren't kidding.

It was such an interesting experience that we surprised the owner-guide by asking him to record an impromptu podcast episode right after finishing his 3-hour tour of Afro-Carribean Foods of Brixton, London.

Obi owns Gorgeous Tours UK, and operates African and Caribbean food tours in Brixton, London's historically black neighborhood, sharing deeply personal stories of his Nigerian family's immigration experience alongside the complex cultural evolution of the area.

What began six years ago as a slow-starting venture inspired by his wife's suggestion during a Bangkok food tour has transformed into a thriving full-time business running twice daily, six days a week, thanks to an unexpected boost from Beyoncé's London concerts in May 2023 that brought thousands of American tourists seeking authentic cultural experiences.

His tours combine eight to nine food tastings with intimate storytelling that doesn't shy away from difficult truths about gentrification, historical neglect, and community displacement, instead embracing honest narratives that guests appreciate for their authenticity. Operating as a solo entrepreneur, Obi faces the classic scaling challenges of managing all aspects of his business while maintaining the personal touch and local relationships that make his tours special.

There's no explaining this episode. It's rambling and angry and raw and weird, but probably a very useful episode to listen to.

Mr. AI-is-the-future Peter Syme and Mr. Human-Connection-is-Everything Mitch Bach are joined by two brilliant guys who have made their living creating travel content. Stuart McDonald founded Travelfish to offer true expert insights into Southeast Asian travel destinations. And Matthew Barker is the founder of Horizon Guides, which helps tour operators sell tours by pairing their products with expert content.

Both Matthew and Stuart have spent decades in the travel content business, and have a lot to say about what Google's content updates and the general shift to AI has done to the spirit of travel planning & discovery. But the conversation gets much broader, real quick. Mitch rants about the poverty of fast-food AI tour guide experiences and what it's doing to customer behavior, and Pete valiantly defends technology.

Nothing is firmly decided, but the debate is definite informative for anyone struggling to figure out where we're headed as a tour industry.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction to the Changing Landscape of Travel Content
• 04:29 Understanding Google’s Evolving Algorithms
• 08:35 Creating Quality Travel Content
• 13:40 The Impact of AI on Travel Content
• 18:17 The Role of Human Connection in Travel Experiences
• 25:01 Navigating the Future of Travel and Content Creation
• 44:22 The Impact of Digital Culture on Personal Identity
• 46:15 The Illusion of Choice in a Digital World
• 48:26 Mindless Travel: The Loss of Agency
• 51:48 The Backlash Against Mindless Travel
• 55:00 The Role of Authenticity in Travel Experiences
• 58:48 The Importance of Connection in Guiding
• 01:01:21 Creating Meaningful Content in Travel
• 01:05:58 The Power of Personal Stories in Travel Marketing
• 01:12:12 Designing Immersive Experiences Without Screens

What does it take to grow a food tour company without losing what made it special in the first place? Mitch Bach talks with Lauren Aloise, co-founder of Devour Tours and now VP of Marketing and Guest Experience at Walks-Devour Tours, joins us to unpack the hard-earned lessons of scaling with soul. From cooking classes in her Madrid apartment to managing operations across continents, Lauren shares how Devour stayed grounded in hospitality, storytelling, and meaningful local partnerships—even as it greatly expanded.

Mitch and Lauren explore the tough questions many tour operators face: How do you train guides to host, not just talk? What gets lost when experiences become too polished? And how do you adapt to a tourism landscape shaped by TikTok, AI, and shifting guest expectations? This episode is packed with insight for anyone trying to grow a purpose-driven experience business—without losing the magic.

• Join the 20,000 member Tourpreneur Facebook Group
• More show notes at tourpreneur.com
• November 10-13, 2025: Tourpreneur's TourWeek annual conference

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Devour Tours and Lauren Aloise
• 02:23 The Origins of Devour Tours
• 05:54 Evolving the Business Model
• 11:13 The Challenges of Scaling
• 14:30 Customer Loyalty and Brand Connection
• 16:20 The Unique Qualities of Food Tourism
• 20:57 Creating Connection Through Food Tours
• 25:23 The Future of Tour Guiding and AI
• 25:48 The Impact of AI on Tourism and Hospitality
• 27:59 The Power of Shared Food Memories
• 29:25 Balancing Experience and Product in Tours
• 30:33 Investing in Guide Training and Engagement
• 33:29 Building Loyalty and Company Culture
• 34:38 Navigating the Rise of DIY Food Tourism
• 37:41 Adapting Marketing Strategies for a New Generation
• 39:19 The Value of Webinars in Customer Engagement
• 43:16 Learning from Failures and Defining Success
• 47:39 The Importance of Focus in Business Growth

Madison Rifkin leads Mount, a platform that partners with short-term rental hosts to help them feature and promote local tours and activities to their guests.

But how do you actually get those guests to book? A static landing page doesn’t cut it. That’s where Madison’s “Creator Army” comes in—a vetted network of content creators trained specifically to craft high-performing short-form videos designed for the tour and activity industry.

In this episode, Madi breaks down what’s working on social video platforms right now, how Mount converts attention into bookings, and why your next best sales channel might be Instagram or TikTok. Plus, we dive into the unexpected origin story of Mount—which Madi started when she was just 12 years old.

• Show notes & more information on tourpreneur.com
• Join us Nov 10-13, 2025 for TourWeek, our annual global tour operator conference!

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to Mount and Its Mission
• 01:25 Understanding Mount's Unique Approach
• 04:04 The Role of AI and Concierge Services
• 05:20 Challenges in the Short-Term Rental Market
• 07:47 The Evolution of Short-Term Rentals
• 10:01 Targeting the Right Audience for Experiences
• 11:37 Mount's Content Strategy and Creator Army
• 15:00 The Importance of Authentic Storytelling
• 18:12 Creating Engaging Social Media Content
• 21:45 Building a Content Army for Tour Operators
• 24:05 Trends in Social Media Content
• 27:13 The Power of Series Content
• 29:15 User-Generated Content and Its Impact
• 32:51 Navigating the Challenges of the Travel Industry
• 36:12 Finding the Right Creators for Your Brand
• 39:11 Gender Dynamics in Social Media and Content Creation
• 42:25 Madi's Journey and Vision for Mount
• 44:50 How to Get Involved with Mount

All we hear about is AI this, AI that. And yet trying to keep up with all the changes can be overwhelming. Many operators are simply rejecting it outright, or knowingly keeping their heads buried in the sand.

So Mitch Bach sat down with Janette Roush, the "Chief AI Officer" for Brand USA, to ask a fundamental question: what are some practical ways a tour operator can get started using AI effectively for their tour business? This isn't a technical, advanced conversation, but rather a clear-eyed overview of the benefits of just getting started and a practical approach to do just that. It's a great first step for those wondering where to begin.

Janette is a master communicator on this topic, and everyone should follow her on LinkedIn!

🔥 Attend our next global conference, TourWeek!

Registration is now open for TourWeek '25, in Charleston, South Carolina. A gathering of day tour operators, multi-day operators, DMCs, travel advisors, guides, tour leaders... all descending on the city to take tours, get inspired, book 1:1 partnership meetings, and of course make new friends. Learn more at tourweek.travel!

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to AI in Tourism

58:51 The Role of a Chief AI Officer

01:00:19 AI's Impact on the Travel Industry

01:03:58 The Future of AI in Travel

01:07:08 AI and Pricing Strategies

01:10:10 The Evolution of SaaS in Tourism

01:14:16 Human Touch vs AI in Business Decisions

01:17:53 Getting Started with AI for Businesses

01:21:32 Mindset Shifts for Embracing AI

01:24:18 The Future of Work and Strategy

01:26:48 SEO in the Age of AI

01:29:30 The Value of Human Connection in Travel

01:33:06 Balancing Automation and Customer Service

01:37:38 Future-Proofing Your Business with AI

01:45:45 Common Pitfalls and Successes in AI Implementation

In this episode of the Tourpreneur podcast, Chris speaks with Jonathan Coleman from the Untours Foundation and Zakia Moulaoui Guery from Invisible Cities. They discuss the transformative power of tourism and how both organizations are making a significant impact in their communities.

The Untours Foundation focuses on impact investing in social enterprises, while Invisible Cities trains individuals affected by homelessness to become tour guides, sharing their unique stories. Together, they explore the intersection of tourism, social change, and community empowerment.

In this conversation, Zakia and Jonathan discuss the importance of networking, partnerships, and financial support, particularly for social enterprises like Invisible Cities. They highlight the significance of building trust and rapport with stakeholders, the milestones achieved by Invisible Cities, and the role of corporate partnerships in supporting their mission.

The discussion also covers future plans for expansion and offers advice for other tourism businesses looking to partner with Untours.

Mitch Bach is joined by ToursByLocals CEO Lisa Chen and Sherif Abiza, Chief Community Officer of Withlocals. Together they discuss a recent incident of guide poaching amongst tour platforms, and talk about what trust and fairness looks like in our industry.

Guide platforms operate differently than other OTAs like GetYourGuide, Viator or Klook, since they deal primarily in solo entrepreneurs who themselves are the face of the tour.

In this episode of Tourpreneur the group discusses:

• what does the platform's commission get spent on?
• how a guide platform acquires a customer
• what goes into a great guide profile
• the rise of video, and social commerce
• what it takes to build trust between travelers, guides and a platform
• how guides need to adopt a 'marketing mindset', beyond delivering a great tour
• what they think of Airbnb Experiences' new reboot

Don't forget:

• Join Tourpreneur's 20,000 strong Facebook Group of tour professionals!
• Join us for TourWeek 2025, our annual conference for tour operators & guides!

Nicole Mahoney runs Travel Alliance Partnership, a small group of tour operators banding together to create more buying power with suppliers, resell each others' tours, and much much more. In this Tourpreneur episode Nicole talks with Mitch Bach about how powerful these kinds of B2B partnership models can be when it comes to growing your tour business.

Watch the video, show notes, and more at tourpreneur.com

And join us for our TourWeek 2025, our global conference in Charleston, SC November 10-13!