I Like Local is a social enterprise that enables travelers to book authentic travel experiences directly from 262 local families in Asia and Africa. Our goal is two-fold: in-depth experiences for travelers and direct income for the host families. 100% of the money asked by the local hosts is directly paid to them. I Like Local doesn't charge them anything.
We’d like to provide more hosts with access to our free platform in our current 18 destinations as well as offer the I Like Local platform in 10 new countries (Myanmar, Mongolia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Namibia, Zambia, Ethiopia, Morocco and Egypt).
Your donations will allow us to expand our network and help more locals in Asia and Africa. We’ll be able to reach more travelers to generate more direct income for the hosts and better connect with our hosts on the ground.
OUR STORY
My name is Sanne, and I'm the founder of I Like Local. I Like Local was born out of my passion for other cultures and the desire to create a social impact.
The Problem
I have always been an avid traveler. Throughout my travels, I came to realize that my most treasured experiences were from my encounters with local people. Although a multitude of travel agencies were willing to show me the major attractions, none offered the kind of personalized experience I was looking for. I needed to organize it myself.
The more I talked to other travelers, the more I realized I was not alone in feeling this way. Travel trend reports told the same story. Today’s travelers are increasingly seeking more personal authentic travel options.
Tourism is a strong economic driver and a source of income for many people around the world. Nevertheless, most of the wealth does not reach people on the ground.
The Solution
As poverty alleviation is one of the major global challenges, and tourism has proved to be a major source of income, I believed that connecting locals and travelers directly would have a transformational power.
A few years ago, I quit my job and invested all of my own savings into building the I Like Local platform and bringing this concept to life. Now, across our network, local people are receiving 100% of the wage they ask for the activities they offer (I Like Local does not charge them anything), and they are now empowered to earn money and benefit from the tourism in their countries.
WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR
The concept has already shown that it works. As of today, I Like Local:
- covers 18 countries in Asia and Africa
- supports 1,310 locals
- serves 14,500 travelers
Additionally, we have been featured in Forbes, Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Cosmopolitan, BBC and more than 70 other media outlets.
THE NEXT STEP
What we have accomplished so far is wonderful, but not enough to generate consistent income for these families and expand our network. We need to scale our impact further and engage more travelers.
How
Our plan is to recruit local entrepreneurs who are strategically located in Asia as well as Africa and train them to be I Like Local ambassadors on the ground.
They will:
1) help us expand our marketing efforts on the ground, spread the word about I Like Local, find new ways to attract travelers in the country itself
2) set up partnerships in the country that help us expand and generate more income for local hosts
3) vet qualifying locals to maintain high quality experiences
JOIN AND HELP US MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT FOR THESE FAMILIES!
With your support we can make this happen! Thanks in advance for your help!
