An entrepreneur from Girona has created a mobile application that allows travelers to connect with natives from around the world. The goal of Weyeboo is that the tourist can “escape from mass tourism” and discover places that without a person living in the city, the visitor would probably not go. The creator of the application, Jaume Pareta, explains that there are several filters as to the interest of each traveler. “You can look for a native to accompany you on a cultural or gastronomic route, or one to accompany you on a visit to natural spaces,” he explains. In addition, Weyeboo offers a service section, where all kinds of tourism-related companies are advertised in the city. “It’s like carrying a guide on your mobile phone,” says Pareta.
All this was born on a trip that the creator of the application made with some friends in Ibiza. Pareta explains that he had already been there several times and “they always ended up in the same places as the foreigners”. One of them, however, contacted another friend who lives in Ibiza and made a series of recommendations that allowed them to visit places where they would never have gone. “There I saw the importance it can have for a traveler, to have a native that allows him to enjoy the trip even more,” says Pareta. The operation of the application is simple. Once downloaded both a native and a traveler must register and then the search can begin. This section is completely free and connects the two people who can chat through Weyeboo.
“What we do is connect people who have access to information that is not on the Internet and that allows you to discover little corners of your hand that you most likely would not visit,” says the creator of Weyeboo. In addition, the application incorporates a section of services that is, at the same time, the source of funding. In this space you can find all kinds of companies that are advertised and that are related to the city you want to visit. There is no cost to the traveler to enter and it is the business that pays Weyeboo. In this way, explains Pareta, the aim is to “integrate the services” that a tourist may need when visiting a country. “The idea is that with Weyeboo it’s like carrying a travel guide inside your cell phone,” he says.
Let it grow at the speed that people want
Right now Weyeboo has just been born and the interaction is small, but Pareta is confident that it will spread from cities like Girona i Barcelona. “We start here because we know it and because they have a very important tourist potential. From the travelers and natives out there, we hope to grow at the speed that people want. Let it be everyone’s travel app, ”he concludes.