Guide Profiles
Each guide lists location, destinations, specialties, experience, availability and rates.
Case Study
We built a tour guide marketplace where travellers find and book local guides, then added AI matching that turns a traveller's own words into personalised guide recommendations.
Built for a travel platform connecting travellers with independent tour guides.
Travel and tourism. Client and project names are kept confidential.
- Industry
- Travel and tourism
- Project type
- Marketplace, booking and AI recommendations
- Used by
- Traveller, Guide, Admin
- Technology
- Kept private at the client's request
Overview
From marketplace search to AI-assisted discovery.
From browsing to matching
DestinationInterestsAvailability
AI guide matching
A tour guide marketplace lives or dies on whether travellers find the right person. Guides differ by location, specialty, experience, availability and rate, and a traveller rarely knows which combination they want until they see it.
We built the marketplace first: guide profiles, search, discovery and booking. Later we introduced AI matching, so a traveller can describe what they want in plain language and receive guides that fit, instead of working through every profile.
The problem
Too many guides, not enough guidance.
The marketplace gave travellers plenty of choice, which was also the problem. Search worked well when someone knew exactly what to filter for, but most travellers think in trips, not fields: a slow food walk, a guide who knows the history, someone free next weekend.
Turning that kind of intent into the right shortlist was left to the traveller.
Many possible guides for the same destination
Profiles had to be compared one by one
Travellers describe needs in words, not filters
Specialties were hard to match to interests
Availability and rates added more to weigh up
Good guides could be overlooked in a long list
What needed to change
Discovery needed to understand what travellers mean.
The question shifted from how to search guides to how to understand a traveller. AI matching had to read a natural-language request and connect it to the details guides had already provided in their profiles.
Questions we worked through
- Which profile details matter most when matching a request?
- How should preferences like budget, dates and interests be pulled from a sentence?
- Should travellers see why a guide was recommended?
- How should AI recommendations sit alongside normal search?
- Would a match score or ranking help travellers compare guides?
- How do saved guides and reviews fit into the journey?
The solution
A guide marketplace with AI matching built in.
Guides build profiles with their location, destinations, specialties, experience, availability and rates. Travellers can search and browse, or describe what they want and let AI matching suggest relevant guides. Either way, they review a profile and book through the same booking workflow.
Guide profiles
Traveller request
AI matching
Recommendations
Booked guide
Search and Discovery
Travellers search and browse guides to explore who is available.
Traveller Preferences
Travellers' preferences shape which guides are shown to them.
AI Guide Matching
AI matches a traveller's natural-language requirements with relevant guides.
Personalised Recommendations
Travellers receive recommended guides based on what they asked for.
Booking Workflow
Travellers book a chosen guide through a structured booking flow.
How discovery changed
From browsing profiles to describing the trip.
The marketplace started with guide search. AI was added later to turn a traveller's own words into relevant recommendations.
Marketplace search
Travellers browsed guide profiles by location, specialties, experience, availability and rates, then compared them one by one.
AI-assisted matching
Travellers describe what they want in plain language, and the AI matches that request to the guides that fit it best.
How the workflow works
How a traveller gets from an idea to a booked guide.
The journey works whether the traveller prefers to browse or simply to ask.
- 01
Describe the trip
The traveller shares a destination and what they are looking for.
- 02
Browse or ask AI
They search the marketplace or describe their needs in their own words.
- 03
AI finds matches
AI matching compares the request with guide profiles.
- 04
Review recommendations
Relevant guides appear as personalised recommendations.
- 05
Open a profile
The traveller checks specialties, experience, availability and rates.
- 06
Book the guide
The booking workflow takes the traveller through to booking the chosen guide.
Who uses it
Three roles, one marketplace.
Travellers, guides and admins each have a clear part to play.
Traveller
Describes their destination and needs, browses or asks AI, reviews recommended guides and books the right one.
Guide
Creates a profile, sets out expertise, availability and rates, then receives bookings.
Admin
Manages users, guides, listings and platform content.
Key features
Key features of the marketplace.
Guide Profiles
Guides present their experience, specialties and rates in one profile.
Locations and Destinations
Each guide is tied to their location and the destinations they cover.
Availability
Guides show when they are available to be booked.
Guide Search
Travellers search for guides that suit their trip.
Guide Discovery
Browsing helps travellers find guides they would not have searched for.
Traveller Preferences
Preferences help shape the guides a traveller sees.
AI Guide Matching
AI turns a natural-language request into personalised guide recommendations.
Booking Workflow
Travellers book their chosen guide through the platform.
Business value
What AI matching changed.
Travellers no longer have to translate their trip into filters. The platform does that part for them.
Before
- Long lists of guides
- Search by fields only
- Manual comparison
- Intent lost in filters
- Guides easily missed
After
- Relevant recommendations
- Plain-language requests
- A shortlist that fits
- Preferences understood
- Guides matched on expertise
The outcome
The outcome.
The marketplace grew from a searchable directory into a platform that helps travellers decide, while guides keep control of how they present themselves.
- Travellers can find and book guides in one place
- Natural-language requests lead to relevant guide recommendations
- Guide specialties and experience are matched to traveller needs
- Search and AI discovery work side by side
- Guides reach travellers who suit their expertise
Services in this project
The services behind this system.
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