Web 2.0 start-up MyCreativeTours, the website that is building the first experiential tour exchange that brings together travelers and local tour guides, is offering travel affiliates 30% commission on all bookings.  This program may be the catalyst that the company needs to propel it towards realizing its vision – “promote local tour guides’ creativity and the authenticity of the culture and traditions that surround them, in order to propose memorable experiences to travelers!”

Recognized as one of the most innovative Web 2.0 companies at the 2008 ACC10 CIDEM/COPCA European investment forum, MyCreativeTours is an online aggregator that enables travelers to tailor the components of the travel experience they are looking for anywhere in the world by specifying their personal interests and needs, and submit these requirements to local tour guides so that they can in turn bid to provide the required services.

Similarly, local tour guides (both professional as well those aspiring to enter the trade or engage in this field on an intermittent basis) offer their services to travelers on an independent basis.  A novel element of MyCreativeTours business model is pricing transparency; guides can set their prices based on the creativity, authenticity and value of their offering (a sort of ‘reverse Priceline name your own price’ value proposition). The ‘market’ will then determine the worth of the offering.  Travelers can also rate the tour guides, which helps to establish both the credentials and value of the guides featured in each destination (tour guide rating criteria include ‘creativity’, ‘value for money’ and ‘met my expectations’).

MyCreativeTours, which is based in Barcelona, Spain is also purportedly the first open marketplace of its type that “offers complete multi-language functionality, rich media content and real-time booking” functionality.

Having spent collectively more than 60 years in the travel industry, the TravelDividends team has long maintained that the ‘best travel destination experts’ can be found living at the destination, and not resident within the travel agency industry (though there are some notable exceptions), substituted by family and friends who have visited the destination, or codified in travel guides and online travel websites.  As such, we are big believers and proponents of the local travel service model that underlies MyCreativeTours.  In our view, if a traveler truly wants an authentic local travel experience and not a mere touristic jaunt, the best way to assure that is to have someone who intimately knows the destination you’ll be visiting show them around.

It appears that MyCreativeTours currently has more than 1,000 tour guides enrolled in its program, proffering their services in a number of top travel destinations like, Venice, London, Rome, Prague, Barcelona, Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro and Florence, among others.  We are sure that this network will grow as the company builds-out its model.

The details associated with MyCreativeTours current travel affiliate program, including the 30% commission payout, can be found at AffiliateFuture, the Company’s preferred affiliate network.

TravelDividends thinks that MyCreativeTours is on to something big.  We also think that they offer travel affiliate marketers a terrific revenue generating opportunity…how about you, what are your views?  Pop us an email and share your thoughts. Thanks!