Finnish startup Reveel develops an app offering personalized travel guides to uncover local gems.

Entrepreneurs from Finland are on a mission to rejuvenate the travel experience through their startup Reveel, focusing on modernizing sightseeing and travel guides. Sebastian Mellblom, Robin Kanerva, William Helmenius, and Fredrik Fazer are behind this initiative, likening their vision to what Instagram did for holiday photos.

The app they developed seeks to address the lackluster experience many face once they reach their destination, often characterized by outdated methods like paper maps and single-use headphones. To bridge this gap, Reveel leverages local knowledge and personalized guides available right in the traveler’s smartphone, evolving the function of hotel staff who have been helping tourists with recommendations for decades.

Users can get recommendations by scanning a QR code in their hotel lobby or through influencers they follow on social media platforms. The app promises engaging tours created by professional guides and aims to differentiate itself by offering a more authentic, localized experience, steering clear from the tourist traps which are often promoted through paid advertisements on other platforms like Tripadvisor.

Reveel stands at its nascent stage with a limited set of guides, emphasizing quality over quantity, with plans to grow by focusing on user experience and customized recommendations based on the travelers’ age group and areas of interest. While the journey ahead involves challenges such as a dominant market share of platforms like Tripadvisor, the Reveel team is optimistic, drawing from their personal experiences to create a product aimed at uncovering hidden gems of a locale rather than the beaten paths of tourism. They aspire to facilitate intellectual and cultural enjoyment through this user-friendly app, beginning with attractions in Helsinki and harboring dreams to expand globally.

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