City Tour Service in Bogota?

Mononoke28 says on Sep 3, 2008, 09:06:

I would start by calling travel agencies and see what's out there and how much costs. Based on that you can do something similar or better/different. I know that one of the agencies in Medellín has a city tour and they'll take you to different points of interest throughout the day.

Good luck, it sounds like a very good idea.

Diana

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jonas says on Sep 3, 2008, 21:40:

Lore, congratulations, I believe you have a winner!

I believe there must be demand for this kind of service. I think you should study a lot before starting to offer your service, history, art etc. to offer a high class service. Find interesting stories on details at the points you plan to visit, telling a little tale that you don´t find in a printed guidebook makes it special. Simply taking people to Monserrate and the Candelaria is something people could do on their own, try to offer something special.
When I have friends or family visiting I usually let them go to Monserrate by themselves but take them to some (maybe cheesy places-but special-) like Leo Kopp´s grave on a Monday (dia de las almas) or even to Bogota´s first fuel pump (as a bit of a joke). I am not saying you should take your customers to these places, just to do something special, something the usual tourist would not see.
I know a lady in Berlin, Germany, that does personalized culture city tours who charges 1500 Euros for a day, having served to clients like the Kissingers and other rich and famous people. There is a niche market for this- but you have to have excellent knowledge.
I also know a guy in Bogota who guides airline staff (who stay for 2 nights on their layover from Europe) and who charges them like 150mil pesos/person for the day which does not include lunch. He does his tour most days of the week and usually has 6-7 people. You do the math, that´s a sweet million pesos for a day´s work minus transportation and entrance fees like the monserrate cable car (and he does not pay for his lunch since he brings the group).
I wish you good luck and hope you take it serious enough to put in the effort of studying lots to make it a success.
Also take some guided tours in the museums to learn.

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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johnny2008 says on Sep 3, 2008, 23:44:

Top idea LORE, Bogotá has loads of cool stuff that nobody picks up on. I'd love for there to be an "open house" type tour.

Like Jonas says, you can do La Candelaria on your own on foot, but call me a voyeur, what you cannot see from the street are the stepped gardens that these places hide with palms and banana plants. Far more interesting than what's at the front in my opinion. Opposite Pastelaria Francesa there is a door which allows a walk through a massive garden with courtyards etc. It is used commerically. On Cra 2 between Cll 8 & 9 there are some disused buildings that look like Almshouses, Boy I would love to get in there. Downtown around Cra 10 & Avenida Jimenez there is a street of buildings from the inter-war industrial style. Nothing special about each individual house, but the street as a whole is probably one of the best examples of this type of urban planning I have seen anywhere in the world. To an appreciative eye, it is beautiful and I would cut my right leg off to go inside and see what life is like. Torres del Parque, Not far from perfection in urban downtown living, let me in there too! What about the Narcotecture-narco architecture? the hideous confiscated houses paid for by the proceeds of narco-trafficking. Now owned by the government, what a coup to make it a tourism magnet.

Bogotá is crying out for someone to unlock its architectural gems

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YankeeInMDE says on Sep 4, 2008, 08:24:

If you plan to use an open air bus for tours in Bogota' I would highly recommend you offer air pollution masks!

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viajero123 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Sep 4, 2008, 16:32:

LORE says on Sep 5, 2008, 13:11:

I believe there is a market although small. I would start out in my own car and work my way up, no double deckers yet. I believe that there is soo much to know about this wonderful city. Keep the ideas coming.

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