CEO MONTHLY / FEBRUARY 2025 11 Timeless Travel Technology Geotourist is a personal tour guide for the world’s top travel attractions, landmarks and beyond that serves to build an interactive story map of the world to preserve human stories about places. The firm aims to redefine how people experience the world by seamlessly blending technology with travel storytelling, and to educate people who wish to learn about the world around them by empowering individuals, communities, and organisations to share authentic narratives with global audiences in multiple languages. With its commitment to becoming the global travel guide with utilisation of AI, fostering authentic connections through storytelling, as well as data-led transformation for the industry, Geotourist’s emphasis is on sustainable, data-driven economic growth for destinations. Accessibility is also central to its mission. “We aim to make cultural heritage, destinations, and stories accessible to everyone, everywhere,” explains Shaon Talukder, the firm’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our core values - education, innovation, inclusivity, cultural preservation, and user-centric design - drive our approach.” As CEO of Geotourist, Shaon’s role for the team is to set the vision and strategy, drive innovation, and forge global partnerships that amplify its impact. He leads a talented team to expand the platform’s reach and ensure that it stays ahead of industry trends. Every decision that Shaon makes is grounded in the firm belief that every corner of the world has a story worth telling, and that technology should enhance human connection and cultural understanding. “My guiding philosophy is to ‘preserve our human story in our own words for future generations and create an educational landscape that inspires exploration & connection’,” he elaborates. “I’m proud that we are part of the conversation trying to solve some of the biggest challenges in travel and tourism: the preservation of our cultural heritage; overtourism; underutilisation of local attractions, towns and neighbourhoods; environmental impacts; economic growth and distribution.” Shaon’s background was initially in the sciences, and his first venture into entrepreneurship was at secondary school - running the lunchtime film club with a class mate, who was to become a Co-Founder of Geotourist years later. The idea for Geotourist was born whilst travelling with his wife. With just 24 hours to experience Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) in Australia, and having booked a 5-star local expert with rave reviews online, they were beyond excited. However, on arrival, the couple discovered it was the guide’s day off, and had to book an alternative guide. Whilst seeing Uluru was incredible, Shaon felt he was left without the feeling of passion that he had read about. With the rest of the world to explore, Shaon set out to build an audio-map of the world, where people could preserve and share their stories in location, forever. No one would ever have to miss out on experiences all around them and everyone could understand what makes places meaningful. People could travel seamlessly - anywhere - with places authentically brought to life. Geotourist was born. The team behind the brand comprises a passionate group of innovators, storytellers, and technologists who thrive on curiosity, with the culture being dynamic, collaborative, and purpose driven. “I actively encourage a culture of open dialogue, celebrate team achievements, and create the space to push the boundaries of what is possible,” Shaon enthuses. “The spirit of the team, past and present, continues to inspire me to realise the ambition we have for Geotourist.” Of course, it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Few other industries were as negatively impacted by Covid-19 than travel and tourism, and Shaon had to make some challenging decisions during this period. In order to be ready for the industry as it emerged from the crisis, the team decided to use the time to advance its own technology. Today, the travel industry is rapidly evolving, with challenges like sustainability, technological integration, and adapting to post-pandemic traveller expectations. One in five people now use some form of self-guiding technology, with the market projecting continued growth, and therefore scaling the business and advancing its technical capabilities are increasingly important to Shaon. Recently, for his inspirational approach and dedication to bringing travel storytelling to life, Shaon gained notable recognition in the CEO of the Year Awards 2024 and was crowned with the prestigious title of Travel Technology CEO of the Year 2024 – UK. Over the next year, Geotourist plans to expand the platform’s reach through strategic partnerships, introduce advanced features like AI-powered, personalised holograms and predictive travel, and launch initiatives to promote cultural preservation in underserved regions. On a final note, Shaon has some words of wisdom for budding CEOs: “Resilience is one of the most important attributes of a CEO - there are none that I have spoken with that have not faced challenges nor experienced failure,” he states. “Being able to recover from the blows - and to not allow them to derail you - can often be the thin line between success and failure.” Contact: Shaon Talukder Company: Geotourist Web Address: https://geotourist.com/ Jan25011 AI travel app, Geotourist is setting the world ablaze with its futuristic interactive holograms as seen on BBC World, that aim to highlight cultural heritage preservation whilst bringing personalised travel storytelling to the masses. We speak to the firm’s CEO, Shaon Talukder about his ethos and the rationale behind the firm in the wake of him being recognised in the CEO of the Year Awards 2024.
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