Member-only story
The Pandemic Didn’t Kill Free Walking Tours — They Were Already Dead
What happens when you “sell” a “free” product.
Free walking tours are an economic paradox. They’re free, but the people organizing them manage to make money anyway. How?
If you have been on a free tour, you know that they are not really free.
Free tours rest on their customers’ honesty and generosity to make a living. The guides work solely on tips. As such, their income is irregular and non-guaranteed. Similarly, the barriers to becoming a free tour guide are non-existent.
A light schedule, easy money, and a job practiced outdoor attracted thousands of freelancers that became free tour guides. Fierce competition duly followed. Then the pandemic came and reset the counter.
One could argue the virus killed the free tours industry, but it would be ignoring the fundamentally flawed business model they were resting on.
The virus didn’t kill the free tours industry. Free tours were doomed from the beginning.
The Simplest Business Model
Making money as a free tour guide is ridiculously simple. Step 1, learn about your city. Step 2, stand on the main square with an umbrella screaming “FREE TOURS”. There is no…
