SeedCon Fast-Pitch Entry: TourMart

Written by Andres Neely
Published on Nov. 04, 2012

Overview of Business Idea

TourMart connects people visiting new places with local same-day-tour and attraction operators. Our service allows travelers to compare, book in advance and review city-tours, paid-attractions and other guided activities. Operators post their offerings on TourMart, increasing their reach.

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Team Overview

We are a group of Chicago Booth MBA students and alumni, with passion for creating new, effective solutions. We have experience in the business development, consulting, tourism, R&D and software industries.

More about TourMart

According to the U.S. travel association, U.S. residents logged 1.5 billion person-trips for leisure purposes in 2011. During 2011, 85% of U.S. travelers used the internet as travel planning sources. 38% of U.S. leisure travelers reported using mobile devices to access travel information in 2012. Along with these trends, an increasing number of travelers are using the internet to plan their trips and research about things to do at their destinations. However, today there are several problems associated to selecting and booking same-day activities. Problems include information disseminated in several sources and difficulty to compare prices, itineraries and reviews of operators delivering these services.

TourMart solves those problems and allows travelers to compare and book same-day activities in major U.S. cities. Travelers can compare prices, itineraries and past performance and then select the activities they like. Users can book in advance through our system, paying directly to us and earning points that are exchanged for discounts and rewards. All activities are presented in a consumer-friendly interface, which makes it simple to make an informed decision.

Using TourMart, operators have also several benefits. First, operators increase their reach and marketing capabilities. Second, operators receive bookings in advance, reducing the uncertainty of demand and improving their capacity planning. Third, operators can charge different prices according to the time of the purchase. Finally, operators receive customer feedback to improve their services.

In summary, TourMart connects people looking for same-day activities for their trips with the ones that offer these services. We provide a solution to all travelers to avoid missing attractions and waiting long hours. We also help them book activities in advance, compare the several alternatives and post reviews.

 

About SeedCon: Hosted by the Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital student group and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth, SeedCon brings together leaders and innovators from the entrepreneurship and venture capital world to explore the most exciting and disruptive trends in the industry. For more information, visit www.SeedCon.com.

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