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Viator, Inc., the parent company of Viator.com, the leading resource for researching and booking more than 5,500 trip activities and experiences at the best prices, announced the acquisition of Sydney-based OurExplorer.com, an online resource for identifying and booking qualified private tour guides around the world. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2008, OurExplorer.com has built a global online network of professional tour guides who specialize in the most popular destinations like London, New York and Paris, as well as more off-the-beaten-path destinations including places like La Paz (Bolivia), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Thimphu (Bhutan). OurExplorer has gathered information on more than 2,000 registered tour guides in more than 500 destinations, enabling travelers to quickly and easily locate local guides in the destinations they are visiting.
“Viator’s private tour options have increased in popularity over the past couple of years, and we have bolstered our tour selection to meet that growing customer demand and travelers’ desire for more customization,” said Ms. Barrie Seidenberg, CEO and president of Viator. “The addition of the OurExplorer network to the Viator roster gives our customers an expanded resource for locating professional private tour guides in hundreds of cities around the world to create unique and individualized experiences with the help of a local expert. We are very excited to bring this qualified private tour guide network into the Viator portfolio, a great complement to our already robust selection of 5,500 amazing experiences around the world.”
Each registered OurExplorer guide has a personalized profile that details their destination of focus, areas of expertise, years as a guide, licensing and pricing information and ratings by actual customers. Travelers seeking out a customized local experience in their destination can use the OurExplorer network to find a local expert that will meet their personal preferences and craft a private tour that will complement their activities itinerary. Passengers embarking on a cruise can utilize the OurExplorer network to identify qualified local guides available in their ports of call to create a cost-effective, personalized and unique alternative to the cruise line’s shore excursion offerings.
“I am thrilled that Viator will be broadening the exposure of the OurExplorer network of private tour guides, many from some of the most remote locations in the world, to a global audience,” said Dave Cunningham, founder of OurExplorer.com. “Viator has worked hard to become the travelers’ go-to resource for researching and booking destination activities. I am confident that the network of OurExplorer guides built up over the past two years will benefit significantly from the new affiliation with Viator.”
The OurExplorer brand will continue to operate under its existing name. The team at Viator will look at ways to enhance the OurExplorer customer offering and tour guide affiliations including increased marketing efforts and potential cross-links to the Viator flagship site.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
