The idea of three young people who met at university was recently recognized by the World Tourism Organization of United Nations. Their creation: the start-up tourism business Clio Muse Tours, with which they participated in the Global Startup Competition and were recognized for their unique contribution to the sustainable and responsible tourism and in the implementation of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The process was by no means easy, as applications from startups around the world exceeded ten thousand. What was it that earned them the award and paved the way for new partnerships? The 300 digital tours they created.
«Until now, digital guided tours have been a part of the market but haven’t been sufficiently promoted,» Daphne Tserveni tells the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, co-founder and commercial director of the startup, which was recognized for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. «The pandemic »It brought about this major change—namely, that people are turning more to the digital resources available so they can explore a new destination," he adds.
The digitization of culture and tourism gained significant momentum in 2020. And Clio Muse specializes, among other things, in, in developing content for themed guided tours focusing on history, gastronomy, and architecture. Currently, the company operates in 11 countries, with its main markets being Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey. They are now preparing guided tours for the United States as well.
«This recognition from the world’s largest tourism organization means a great deal to us,» the company’s CEO, Andreas Fatouros, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA). «We are confident that our business model can be replicated in any country and help professionals in the tourism and culture sectors grow their businesses and increase sales from their existing customer base through the unlimited availability offered by digital guided tours.».
How does digitization work?;
Professionals in the fields of tourism and culture are creating audio and virtual walks for famous attractions, unique city landmarks, and road trips. Over time, they’ve been adding more and more themes. A key factor in the award was not only innovation but also the sustainable business initiative. What does that mean?;
«Through the tours we offer, we strive to to offer guided tours of areas that aren't as touristy, so that people can get to know them and at the same time spend their money there—at smaller businesses and smaller restaurants. ’So this is the dispersal of tourists across many more areas than they used to visit,» explains D. Tserveni.
These guided tours are promoted to an international audience through major travel websites such as TripAdvisor and Booking.com. A digital tour—accessible via smartphones and tablets—costs an average of 10 euros per person, while an in-person group tour costs 50 euros per person.
Under the current circumstances, it is not only money that makes digital tours more appealing, but also the physical distancing required by the pandemic. Traditional guided tours with groups of twenty people may be slow to return once tourism «reopens.». The delay in vaccinations across Europe is leading officials to project that tourist traffic will be at 20%-30% levels compared to 2019, even though they had expected that figure to rise to 50% this year. In other words, the tourism market is expected to remain at the same levels as last year, according to discussions at the Clio Muse Tours offices on Evripidou Street in central Athens.
However, the three co-founders—Andreas Fatouros, Yiannis Nikolopoulos, and Daphne Tsevrini, can’t help but be optimistic, since the award from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has secured them connections with airlines and technology companies, as well as with investors in the tourism sector. Out of the 10,000 applications submitted, Clio Muse Tours was among the 25 that were ultimately recognized for their idea and its implementation.
