We all know good reviews are important, but what deeper insights can reviews give us about our tour businesses, and our industry?

To answer that, Anna Cashman, Head of B2B Brand & Insights for GetYourGuide, led an effort to analyze 3.1 million reviews with comments. Her team parsed the data to understand trends and takeaways for tour operators. She joins Peter, Chris and Mitch on the podcast to talk through what this all means for tour operators.

We were surprised by some of the report's insights: What countries leave the most reviews? Who are the most critical reviewers? How many reviews ensures a successful product? Why are attractions so popular but so poorly reviewed? What kinds of tours get the best reviews?

• Download the Review Report
• GetYourGuide's Spring 2025 Unlocked Release for Suppliers
• Join GetYourGuide as a supplier
• Anna Cashman on LinkedIn

Well, the new Airbnb 2025 Summer Release is upon us. The just hosted a big, splashy launch event for its reboot of Experiences, and also introduced Airbnb Services, featuring dozens of categories of new bookable offerings, from nail care to personal chefs. What does this mean for the future of Airbnb, for the tours & activities sector, and for Experience Hosts? Let's dive in!

Mitch Bach and Peter Syme invited Ben Gollan to share his insights. Ben is one of Airbnb's most popular NYC hosts, and has been with the platform since the early days. He's hugely optimistic about the new direction and investment Experiences is taking, and it's nice to hear his positivity about the platform's potential. Given the launch of Airbnb Services, Mitch and Pete look at what all of this means in the bigger picture for Airbnb, for the tours & activities sector, and where Airbnb gets it right and where there's room for improvement.

Mitch Bach sat down with João Perre Viana, the founder of Walking Mentorship, to talk one thing we tour operators are all familiar with: walking.

But not many of us design week-long trips where all you do is walk. Sometimes alone. Sometimes in a group. That's it. Beyond some shared meals and moments, there isn't much of a plan. Each group takes on a different spirit, but it's all guided by a mentor who along the way tries to facilitate and gently foster personal transformation. What that looks like is up to the individual guest.

This conversation veered away from the nitty-gritty of business, and towards diving into the importance and magic of what we do as experience creators.

For more show notes, visit tourpreneur.com. And be sure to join nearly 20,000 tour operators in our Facebook group!

• Joao’s background and origins in Portugal
• Is Walking Mentorship a tour company?

• The first Camino de Santiago in 1993
• The impact of the walk and self-discovery
• Realization of a calling to this work

• Corporate career delay and returning to the idea
• Email to “fools, friends, and family,” and pilot programs
• Early feedback and attempts to give up on the idea

• Layers of experience: curiosity, physicality, purpose, self-understanding, spirituality, culture
• Doors in a room analogy for guiding participant journeys

• Emphasis on total freedom and responsibility
• Rare participant withdrawal and the ethos behind the program

• Critique of traditional, structured, checklist-driven tours
• Deprogramming guests and creating space for transformation

• Meaning of risk (internal vs. external threats)
• The “wolves” participants face within themselves
• Ensuring physical and psychological safety

• The universal quest or search among participants
• Every individual’s unique journey and needs
• “There is no replay” principle

• Mentor’s responsibilities and boundaries
• Preparing participants for returning home
• Structured support with eventual independence

• Backpack packing as a life metaphor
• Balancing physical challenge with adaptability
• Reading the group and tailoring the journey

• Approach to phone/device use on programs
• Fostering mindful interaction with technology

• Applying listening, eye contact, and personalization even to short tours
• Offering small but impactful experiences

• Listening as a crucial guiding skill
• Asking questions through...