Interview with Luca Bellocchio, CEO of Waylist, the first search engine for travel itineraries.
Travelling is one of the best experiences available for human beings: knowing the world, new places and cultures is undoubtedly an indispensable attitude for each of us. With the advent of digital, this attitude has been even more fueled, thanks to the simplicity through which we can find information and interesting itineraries.
Waylist goes in this direction: to facilitate even more the process of searching for travel experiences in line with our desires and passions.
What Waylist is?
Waylist is a real search engine, a vast database that collects customized routes and tourist destinations, filtered according to the needs of those who search. Through the filters of the search engine in fact is possible indicate the budget we have available, the activities we like to do, the preferred destinations and the dates we would like to leave.
Therefore, Waylist is an aggregator of travel experiences that can be consulted both through the website, and through iOS and Android applications.
To download the app for IOS click here —> https://apps.apple.com/it/app/waylist/id1541327625
To download the app for Android click here —> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waylist.android
But how does this great “binder” work? Where is all the data taken from? All the experiences collected, and this is the great news that Waylist offers, are provided by the community. From travellers that have already lived the experience, sharing it with other users.
In addition to searching for destinations, users can also access all information regarding specific location, useful tips, challenges, route updates. To this is added “the gamification”, members in fact can earn points, Waycoins, to be used to get discounts on the purchase of travel experiences.
How can I earn points? Let’s have it told directly by Luca Bellocchio, CEO of Waylist
Hi Luca, nice to meet you and thank you for your time. Waylist, tell us from your point of view?
Waylist was a requirement. The historical period we are living in has given rise to a strong desire in people to travel, to discover, to escape. But not always, and perhaps almost never, we know for sure where to go. A tool like Waylist means sharing your life experiences with those who have needs similar to yours.
How and when was the idea of Waylist born?
The idea was born two years ago. David, one of the three partners, was telling me that he was writing a story of all his travels because he wanted to make his experience available to other people. From there we started to think about a search engine for travel itineraries. A tool in which everyone could contribute.
How long did it take to shape the project?
Almost two years since the idea came out until the development the app.
How are people responding?
Like all things, it takes time for the adoption of the instrument to become a habit. There are users who want to tell their experiences and insert many trips but most, as was predictable, use the app only to consult the travels of others.
How can digital help tourism restart after a difficult period for the entire sector?
Digital is now part of our everyday life. The real value is the accessibility of information in a short time. Waylist wants to be a platform that can organize this information and make it accessible quickly and intuitively.
How did you launch your project?
We are using digital marketing channels and influencers/travel bloggers to give visibility to the project.
Curiosity: how do you get Waycoins? And what are they for?
The Way Coins are obtained as a reward for entering routes via the app. They can be converted into discounts for travel experiences with selected partners who have decided to join the initiative.
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