The modern traveller doesn’t want to take the touristy route. He wants to explore and experience something new. That is why we have seen a rise in popularity of platforms that offer unique experiences. Sri Lanka based Trekurious is one such platform that offers amazing experiences hosted by acclaimed individuals. We spoke with Rukmankan Sivaloganathan, an avid traveller and co-founder of Trekurious, to learn more about this industry vertical and challenges in this space.
Rukmankan Sivaloganathan, CEO & Co-Founder, Trekurious
He describes Trekurious as a platform where they curate experiences. Broadly categorised in travel and lifestyle, under travel they have experiences like going to cinnamon plantations, learning about it, learning how it is made or going to someone’s house and learning how to make Sri Lankan food. The activities are handpicked and aren’t easily available otherwise.
On the lifestyle side, they have applied the same principle to bring experiences for Sri Lankans. They invite famous wine makers and chefs to host dinners and let locals experience the same. It started as a B2C marketplace but they are also moving in B2B space now. They still cater directly to the customers coming to them, they are closely working with different partners to offer their experiences as part of their packages.
Talking about the inspiration behind starting Trekurious, he shares, “When I was in my B-School, I handled a large group of people for a trip to Sri Lanka and I was disillusioned with how poor the services were. I wanted to do something to change that. The inspiration came when I was in Vietnam and we were going to visit a famous Hindu temple. The travel agency arranged for an archaeologist who was exploring there to be our guide and that was the eureka moment for me.”
Over the past few years, we have seen activities and experiences gain a lot of momentum in Asian market. While Rukmankan believes that there is room for high quality curated experiences and has been there since platforms like Vayable came in, it is a steep climb operating as a marketplace catering directly to customers.
You have to spend money to acquire customers that might not come back to you. On top of that, the bigger players in travel industry keep fighting for all the prime search keywords making promotions even tougher.
That is why the shift towards B2B is helping them. To sell directly to the customers, they have to be visible against the major travel brands at the time of travel discovery and there are very few repeat customers in this space. Many travel agencies are already brining in thousands of travellers each year and they have to put together itineraries for the travellers. They associate with these agencies and offer the experiences as part of these itineraries. This way they can have a strong focus on offering new experiences and maintaining high quality standards while having access to a bigger market.
You can explore the unique experiences offered by Trekurious through their website here.
