Hidden Gems Japan App Service

Inspired by our own passion for travel, our team wanted to create a service that acts as a bridge between hosts, whom we call “experts'', and travellers who wish to build connections with locals who have unique shared interests as them on their travels. 

From the survey data we gathered, we noticed that although the travel service market is large, there are some user needs these services don’t fulfil. We created a persona, Mary, to illustrate the pain points. Mary loves to travel, but often finds herself digging through tons of blogs to find places that match her and her friends’ unique interests. Although there are tour services, she finds a need for more flexibility, ability to visit places that cater to her unique interests, and a wish to discuss these interests with locals who likes the same things. As guides are experienced in leading large groups of people with diverse interests, they tend to build tours around well-known destinations. Our team called this destination-based type service.

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From the local’s end, we believe everyone is an expert to their own unique knowledge, sets of interest and where they live. In our team likewise, we each have the favourite spots in our cities we would introduce to a friend if they visit -the small dog beach with the best sunsets, the alleyway adorned in mosaic art made in the 1990s, the cafe that looks like time stood still since the showa era - places with quirks that are not on the news or of interest to all tourists, but are special in our experience, tucked in our pocket list of "hidden gems”.

Matching the locals with a special love for unique sites and a set of specific hobbies, and a traveller that shares those interest is the goal we with to accomplish.