iFriend is a global marketplace that connects tourists to local guides is raising €2,2 million in a new funding to grow and expand internationally. Based in Brazil and founded and run by Leonardo Brito and a team of experts in the field, iFriend has more than 1,200 travel agencies registered on the platform so far. The company plans to use this investment for their international expansion to other Latin American countries, starting with Argentina and Mexico.
The platform provides exposure of your profile to tourists from all over the world. Thus, you will be able to earn extra income by sharing the best in your city. In addition, it is an excellent opportunity to make friends from different parts of the world and practice different languages.
iFriend lets you experience a destination from a local’s point of view. With iFriend, you can optimize your time and enjoy the best of the city, especially exclusive places that only locals know. In addition to better planning your trip, you avoid queues, make a more assertive route and escape pitfalls. In the end, your trip ends up being cheaper with the tips that only a guide has.
The company has until now more than 5,800 tourist guides and local receptives registered on platform. In a quick and easy way, the client can find a local guide, private tours, ticket and passes, tourist experiences and a virtual tour in 125 countries in over 1,600 cities around the world. Our service is offered in several languages enabling the traveler to customize it according to their needs.
The tours and activities sector is the fastest growing segment in the tourism industry, around nine per cent (9%) per year, moves a market of $250 billion dollars. And the main point, is a market that is not consolidated with few competitors in the world. In addition, it is a market in the process of digitalization, with only twenty per cent (20%) of tours and activities being sold online.
