We’ve written previously about NileGuide, a one-stop travel planning site that allows you to create customized trip itineraries from over 30 different sources. Today, the startup is acquiring the technology of Localyte, a website and iPhone app that aims to connect travelers with locals in their destination to serve as guides or just to get advice. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The key assets acquired in the deal include the Localyte website and underlying technology platform, the community of member contributors (the site has nearly 50,000 contributors around the world), and the Localyte iPhone app, Pocket Sherpa. NileGuide will be integrating elements of the Localyte functionality into the NileGuide website, while also maintaining the Localyte website.
Localyte’s app and site lists tours and contact info in cities and also lists local travel guides in those cities who are available to answer any questions. For example, if you were traveling in Paris, you could ask “What is the most romantic restaurant near the Louvre?” Locals answer the questions fairly quickly, within a few hours at most. You can also access threads of previous questions that were submitted in your destination. And Localyte’s mobile app has a built-in mailbox that lets you send and receive messages, and also lets you see local newspapers in the region where you are traveling.
NileGuide’s CEO and founder Josh Steinitz says that the acquisition makes sens to add the curated local content and perspective to the travel planning site. NileGuide wants to be the go-to guide for all local travel planning (meaning where to stay, eat, visit etc.), and Localyte’s growing number of contributors will help NileGuide become the defacto resource for travel advice from locals.
NileGuide’s mobile offering will also be expanded with the acquisition of Localyte’s Sherpa iPhone app. The company also recently launched a location-based itinerary planner and has a free iPhone app that integrates more of the travel itinerary-creation functionality that is included on the startup’s website.
While the travel app industry is a competitive space, NileGuide is wise to steadily build up its own offerings. Founded in 2006 and based in San Francisco, NileGuide has received $9.5 million in funding from investors including Draper Richards, KPG Ventures, Austin Ventures, and Tenaya Capital.
NileGuide is a travel planning site that lets you search for hotels, restaurants, and other activities with advanced preference filters and build a free custom guide to more than 100 destinations.
Travelers seeking more authentic travel experiences can now tap into a rich community of local people eager to help them with Localyte.com. Localyte.com is the first website focused entirely on connecting travelers with local people (“Localytes”) in travel destinations. A growing community of over 30,000 Localytes in more than 160 countries provides travelers with up-to-date advice and unique services, helping them step off the tourist track for more authentic travel experiences.
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