A Look at MyProGuide: From Humble Beginnings to Global Success

MyProGuide's journey began with a simple yet powerful idea – anyone can be a tour guide. Witnessing the prevalence of unlicensed guides and a lack of transparency in the industry, Jo saw a gap in the market and launched MyProGuide in Taiwan with co-founder Erica Yu. The duo started their venture in a garage, with a clear mission to connect travelers with licensed, knowledgeable guides around the world to ensure safe and enriching experiences.

MyProGuide's initial struggle wasn't a lack of guides, but attracting customers. Klook entered the picture during a chance encounter at a tourism conference in Taiwan, looking for a partner to provide tour guides for a shuttle bus service from Taipei to Jiufen. And this pivotal business opportunity was the breakthrough they needed. Jo recalls, “We started with just four tour guides and mini buses but the response was overwhelming and we quickly expanded to bigger buses and more tour guides. Even today it’s one of our top-selling tours on Klook.”

The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point for many in the travel industry, and MyProGuide was no exception. With international travel coming to a halt, they had to rethink its business model and responded with creativity and resilience.

“During the pandemic, everyone went through a hard time. We could only do local and domestic tours. We introduced new things like a ‘day tour buffet’ with different tours every day for a monthly fee, and also worked hand-in-hand with hotels to provide cars for domestic tours,” he says.

Additionally, they pivoted to online virtual tours, offering unique experiences such as facilitating local cultural practices on behalf of customers including redeeming a vow at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine, which became a lifeline. Their ability to link online tours with physical experiences also served as an effective marketing tool to promote destinations and encourage future visits.

Over the decade, as Klook expanded its reach into new markets, MyProGuide was right alongside them.

"We saw an opportunity to grow with Klook and expand our services to new markets. We started by offering our services in Southeast Asia and then moved into Europe," Jo adds. Their systematic approach, honed through experience, allowed them to replicate their successful model across different destinations, ensuring consistent quality and customer satisfaction.

What sets MyProGuide apart? It’s their focus on providing personalized experiences from customers – think animal-themed car decorations for zoo tours, cross-border tours with immigration assistance, or even matching female drivers for female travelers. Their ability to offer multilingual tour guides is also a major differentiator. Decked out in bright yellow and blue to easily be recognizable in any crowd, these guides often serve as local ambassadors, enriching the travel experience with cultural insights and personal recommendations. 

And that goes into enhancing the overall customer experience and encouraging positive reviews. "We offer unique experiences tailored to each customer's needs. Many tour operators only offer English-speaking guides. But we offer guides who speak multiple languages, which is a big plus for customers who don't speak English,” adds Jo. 

Together with Klook, it’s a winning combination: Klook drives demand while MyProGuide focuses on operations, enabling the company’s growth and expanding access to new markets and customers.

Jo says, “I’m satisfied to solve customers’ problems to make their travel experience better, and happy to create things that people love. Many people might visit that particular destination only one time in their life, and if our service and experiences can make them go home smiling, that is a win."

And the most important piece of advice from Jo himself is “Don't try to do everything yourself. Partner with people who can help you achieve your goals, and be open to learning from your success and failures.”