
Image: Sportfile
More than 2,000 start-ups exhibited at this year’s Web Summit, all vying to become tech’s next big thing. Over 100 registered as travel start-ups.
Here are the top seven that caught my attention.
1. RunGo
The ultimate travel tool for joggers, RunGo offers turn-by-turn voice navigation, so you can easily explore a city without having to consult a map. You don’t have to disrupt the flow of your run, and the app will give you additional tips on the best pubs, cafes and attractions. Plus creating and sharing running routes is really easy. The RunGo team is interested in partnering with hotels. Visit rungoapp.com.
2. BimBim Bikes
An online booking platform for bike rentals, BimBim Bikes is already live in 39 countries. It’s a straightforward system that allows you search for biking options, make your payment online, book particular tours and request specific bikes. BimBim is interested in becoming an ancillary add-on to the existing travel trade. Visit bimbimbikes.com.
3. 360Visualizer
A sophisticated tool for hoteliers, 360Visualizer allows its users to control visual content and communicate products to clients. If you want to entice a guest to buy a room upgrade, why not give them a 360 degree tour of what you can offer them? The technology is already live in certain Radisson Blu, Barceló Hotels & Resorts, and Holiday Inn properties. Visit 360visualizer.com.
4. Sitata
The travel trade is constantly having to battle with scaremongering in the media, so Sitata is a welcomed project. It offers travellers localised safety information and other nuggets, like advice on vaccinations for particular areas, routes to hospitals and advice for what to do in an emergency. Visit sitata.com.
5. Gaybrhood
An Irish start-up, Gaybrhood is looking to establish itself in the growing LGBT tourist market. Very simply, it offers gay-friendly guides to cities, with tips created by its users, presented in a visually pleasing way. Visit gaybrhood.com
6. Muzenly
For the more adventurous traveller, Muzenly allows music festival-goers to source lifts, extra tickets and shared accommodation. Visit muzenly.com.
7. Fripito
How many travellers have bought a ridiculously expensive camera, but have no idea how to use it? Fripito offers professional advice for amateur photographers. It tells you the best sites to take pictures in any listed location. It tells you the best time of day to shoot and what settings to use on your camera so you can create amazing photographs. Visit fripito.com.
Also worth checking out
Travel Translation, easiway, Wapple, Valido, ParkingSlot, Sure, and Gypsy Circle.
Read Travel Extra’s special digital pull-out, the Summit Supplement.