We have found an app that turns your phone into your own private tour guide

Developed by Pernilla Kemp of Windsor, her team is currently focused on their ‘Windsor Walking Tour’, which takes visitors on a guided tour of central Windsor, narrated through the app. They started their endeavour with the aim of offering guided tours on local bus routes with London as their first target location. However, during the pandemic they decided to shift focus to routes that people could walk.

The idea is actually older than the smart phone. “I always thought it would be fantastic to have a guide on a regular bus, so that you can find out about places that you go past” says Pernilla. “That is our business ‘why’ really. When it came to deciding on an idea to pursue for a business a couple of years ago, I resurrected the bus guide idea.”

“We started to develop the product properly in 2019 but then the pandemic hit just as our first tour had gone live. The Windsor Walking Tour was always going to happen, as we live in Windsor and it's such a fascinating place, but it was brought forward as a product we could actually market during the pandemic when businesses have had to make sure their customers can be kept safe.”

The tours are focused on introducing people to lesser-known hidden gems, as well as delving a bit deeper for the big, famous sights. The bus tours – when we can all travel by bus for leisure again – also help tourists find local high streets and parks that are off the beaten track.

Their target market is people who are interested in exploring a bit beyond the shops and cafes of places they are visiting. Who like to learn some interesting facts and are keen to see what's round the next corner. “The tours aren’t specifically targeted towards children, but anyone from the age of 12 upwards can certainly enjoy them” says Pernilla. And she continues “The format of having the tour on your phone makes it really flexible and user-friendly. Essentially, you can do as much or as little as you'd like of a tour in one go, and then come back and do more another time”.

We asked the Window Seat Guide to answer our Top Five Questions and invite you to learn more about their journey as app founders:

1. How did the pandemic affect your business?

It hit just as we had launched our first London tour. Thinking it would be over much sooner than was going to be the case, we continued working on more London tours. When it was evident that we were in the pandemic for a much longer time, we started work on a Windsor Tour. Because of the nature of Windsor - the local bus is in and out of the town in a matter of minutes - it had to be a walking tour, really. We launched it as we were coming out of lockdown before Christmas, but then we found ourselves in a third lockdown within weeks, with no tourists on the horizon. We offered the tour for free to locals for a while, but we really needed the tourists back before we could start to promote it properly.

2. What were your greatest challenges?

There have been some tech issues along the way that have stalled us a bit. It seems technology is never quite as simple as it ought to be. Marketing has really been the biggest challenge for us, particularly when there haven’t been any tourists coming to Windsor. Working on a shoestring budget we're trying to be as creative as possible with our marketing at the moment.

3. What suggestions, if any, do you have for improving your engagement?

Test different social media platforms and content within them, mixing pictures and messages to see what gets the best engagement. As you learn what works well for you, you can adapt and change for your audience.

4. If you could do it over again, would you do anything differently? What would you do?

I've had a very positive response when I've reached out to other tourism businesses locally, so will be doing more of that. It would also have been great to have the Windsor Walking Tour out already last summer, but alas, hindsight is a wonderful thing! At the time, we really couldn’t have picture what the winter ahead would be like.

5. If you could give words of advice or encouragement to others, what would you say?

Just hang on in there, and try to tweak where you see an opportunity. I think any business that has survived the pandemic will stand so much stronger for the future.

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