The Tour Guy

Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends, customers and colleagues. We'd like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for our customers, who trust us to transform their trips into lifelong memories. We're also grateful to our employees across the global who are passionate, friendly people that love culture, history, and food, and who are dedicated to sharing that love with you every day. Now get off LinkedIn and enjoy that turkey!?

Our CEO Sean P Finelli believes Black Friday is more important to the travel industry than ever before... "Black Friday 2024 marks a shift in travel industry promotions, moving beyond the "revenge travel" phase of post-pandemic recovery to address new market realities. Black Friday weekend represents a last-ditch effort to gain significant sales until traffic picks back up in January. Consumers can expect, at least from us, more extensive and deeper deals than ever before, responding to consumer financial and changing travel patterns." Support your favorite travel company this Black Friday and book a tour with us today. Use code BLACKFRIDAY10 from 11/26-12/2 to save 10% on all our tours. www.thetourguy.com

Our co-founder Brandon Shaw has identified five trends that he anticipates will shape travel in 2025: 1. Major monuments aren’t going anywhere. Despite the “destination dupe” trend, travelers won’t skip tried-and-true destinations. We still see a high demand for attractions like the Vatican, Colosseum, Eiffel Tour, Sagrada Familia, etc. London and Paris remain the top destinations researched by travelers based on global search trends data, followed by Rome and Barcelona, and search is up 7% year-over-year. 2. Second-tier cities on the rise. We’ve seen an increased interest amongst travelers for cities like Dublin, Lisbon and southern Spain (Granada & Seville). Search data has confirmed this; these three areas have experienced 14% growth in search volume over the last year. 3. Day trips over dupes. Instead of planning trips to alternative locations, travelers will lean more into shorter day trips. Some popular day trips our customers are booking include the Amalfi Coast & Pompei from Rome, Tuscany from Florence, Prosecco from Venice, Champagne & Normandy from Paris, Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge from London, Monteserrat from Barcelona and Sintra from Lisbon. 4. Event-cations aren’t going anywhere. This past year we saw more and more people planning trips around big events and concerts, and this trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. According to global search trends data, “shows/concerts/events” falls just under “sightseeing” on the list of travel experiences tourists are searching for. One notable event occurring next year that will draw in millions of tourists to Europe is the Jubilee in Rome. 5. Culinary craze. Travelers will be booking food tours and cooking classes like crazy, with search volume growing nearly 14%. Italy is by far the most popular destination for food-related experiences, but I recommend taking a food tour in every city you visit, so you can take your knowledge of the local cuisine and apply it to the rest of your trip. Food tour guides can also give you recommendations on what restaurants you won’t want to miss.?? Check out our latest blog post to learn more about how these trends will influence the industry. Are there any that you'd add to this list? https://lnkd.in/gQ96qeYR

We're #hiring a new Paris Product Manager in Paris, ?le-de-France. Apply today or share this post with your network.

It's always incredible to see our tours and experiences reflected on by our amazing affiliate partners, like Agnes Groonwald. Agnes covered our Montmartre Food and History Walking Tour in her recent blog titled, "Top Guided Food Tour Tips for a Delicious Experience."?https://lnkd.in/gqXGjBgP Interested in joining our affiliate program? Visit https://lnkd.in/g46pNzmy to learn more.

We are proud to announce that we have introduced a few exciting new tours in Italy! In Florence, we are offering a one-of-a-kind cooking experience, straight from the cookbook and home of a local Cesarina. In Rome, what better way to see the city's best viewpoints at night, by golf cart! Or, opt for a expert sommelier-led food and wine tour as you enjoy a Roman sunset. All three tours are available now. Which one will you be booking first? https://lnkd.in/guw5ayjE https://lnkd.in/gdg8-EAC https://lnkd.in/gWeP7ewf

This October, two stars from our Marketing Team came together over spritzes for an impromptu meetup in Rome! Nicole Wilburn, Senior Brand and Communications Manager?and Andrea Bugen, Social Media Coordinator exemplify the value of getting face time, whenever and wherever possible. It's a great reminder of how important it is to foster connections between coworkers, even those who are not in the same physical location day-to-day!

"Walking food tours—or food tours of any kind—are becoming more popular, and it’s easy to see why. We booked The Tour Guy’s Trastevere Local Food Tour in Rome and we not only got our fill of several different types of food, but we also got a historical tour of the Trastevere neighborhood. The history of food in Rome is already interesting enough, but our local tour guide also pointed out buildings and piazzas we wouldn’t have looked twice at or known the stories of otherwise." Thank you Alani Vargas for including three of our tours - including our fan-favorite Trastevere Food Tour - in your "Best Things to do in Rome" guide. Check out her other recommendations in the link below. https://lnkd.in/g5vdfXPg

Calling all spooky travel enthusiasts! As the veil between worlds grows thin, let's explore some of history's most haunting locales: Rome's Catacombs & Capuchin Crypts ?? Venture into the eternal city's ancient burial grounds, where 3,700+ friars' bones form macabre art. A chilling reminder of mortality that beckons the brave to contemplate life, death, and faith. https://lnkd.in/gVEVDMqd Tower of London ?? This infamous fortress is a hotbed of spectral activity. Keep an eye out for Anne Boleyn's headless ghost, among other royal apparitions. Will you dare to explore where countless met their doom? https://lnkd.in/gaXYvQmu Paris Catacombs ?? Beneath the City of Light lies a dark labyrinth holding six million souls. Legend speaks of Philibert Aspairt's restless spirit wandering these ossuary-lined tunnels. Are you bold enough to descend? https://lnkd.in/gYkNQFfT This Halloween, why not trade candy for courage and visit these spine-chilling sites? They offer a unique blend of history, culture, and the supernatural. What's the spookiest place you've ever visited? Share your eerie experiences below!