At The Enterprise World, we’re after finding out the latest, the most upcoming, and the future of the business world. And in this search, we have come across many companies, innovative products/services, and breakthrough leaders.
We strive to bring forth the latest and trending bits and insights going in the business world. And in this journey, we met Simon Semprini, CEO, and Co-Founder of TourScanner. TourScanner is the latest technological intervention in the Tour and Travel industry.
Now, without any more wait, let’s have a conversation with Simon Semprini, CEO, and CO-founder, TourScanner. Let’s get to know about TourScanner, its offerings, and some exclusive insights from Simon.
Brief us about the company, what inspired you to start the company?
TourScanner is the first meta-search engine for tours, attractions, and outdoor activities available in a specific travel destination. It works like Skyscanner and Trivago but specializes in tours and activities.
Anyone from anywhere can use TourScanner to search from over 1.5 million deals worldwide — the largest catalog in the world and it keeps increasing. To date, TourScanner has more than 1.5 million unique visitors who are mostly from the United States and Europe.
As a passionate traveler, I had a realization that there was no online platform showing all tours and ticket offers for one particular tourist destination. I experienced the difficulty myself from having to jump from one website to another so I could compare prices, or negotiate prices on-site amid language barriers.
What are the products or services the company focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
TourScanner specializes in tours and activities, and our website or app users can choose the best deal from a complete catalog of products offered by our partners such as Viator, GetYourGuide, and Tiqets, among 20 other online travel agencies.
If a tour is not available at the time you are planning to book for your next trip, you will not see it on TourScanner. This can help you save time and money.
Please tell us about your team.
I started TourScanner with my co-founders Guillaume Picard and Joseph Dimucci, and for a few years, we did all the work to make it operational. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were ready to expand our team, however, we had to postpone it until last year.
Today, we have six more team members to help us with content management, website development, and marketing, plus a similar number of freelance collaborators. We are now based in different locations and all work remotely.
Please brief us about your professional experience.
My professional experience in the tour industry has developed alongside TourScanner, as my previous job was in a different field. However, my experience in analysis and research has been integral in my work with TourScanner, especially when devising business and marketing strategies.
Guillaume has many years of professional experience in the tour industry which have proved invaluable in the development process of the company. Joseph has enhanced his knowledge and skills in website development, as we are optimizing our website and expanding our services.
What are the key achievements of your business journey?
In the last four years, we have gone from zero to 1.5 million monthly unique visitors, even taking into account the impact of the pandemic. We have also expanded our team and partnered with more tour agencies to increase our products and services. We have also proven the profitability of the business.
Any client experience you would like to highlight?
I remember Katherine, one of our clients. She wrote us a nice message thanking us for the advice given about some nice tours to take from Las Vegas and congratulating us on the useful website that we’ve built.
What is your favorite quote?
“Things just happen in the right way, at the right time. At least when you let them, when you work with circumstances instead of saying, ‘This isn’t supposed to be happening this way,’ and trying harder to make it happen some other way.” ― Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh