# Live Smartphone Tourism Lopeca Lets You Explore Remotely Using Mobile Video Tours From Locals By Alyson Wyers | Published 2015-03-18 | World Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/video-tours References: [springwise](http://www.springwise.com/live-smartphone-tours-locals-show-remote-sightseers-world/) & [lopeca](http://www.lopeca.com/) If you have the itch to travel but can't afford to go on vacation right now, watching smartphone video tours lets you go to new places without actually having to move. Currently in beta, Turkish startup Lopeca offers live smartphone tours that show remote areas of the world through the phone of a local. Lopeca matches up city guides with remote explorers and handle the payments using Paypal. Users can then connect via Skype, FaceTime or something similar to record and watch the video tours. Right now the new venture is recruiting the local walking tour hosts online. This is another example of how a [peer to peer platform](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/travelshare) is being introduced to the tourism industry. This platform could also be used for [trip-planning](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lets-trip-1). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.4/10 - Popularity: 36% | Activity: 29% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [World](https://www.trendhunter.com/world) > [Travel](https://www.trendhunter.com/travel) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Peer-to-peer Tourism:** The introduction of peer-to-peer platforms in the tourism industry opens up opportunities for locals to offer video tours to remote explorers. - **Live Smartphone Tours:** The rise of live smartphone tours allows users to virtually explore remote areas through the phone of a local, providing an immersive travel experience. - **Virtual Travel Experiences:** Virtual travel experiences offer a cost-effective alternative to physical travel, enabling users to satisfy their wanderlust without leaving their homes. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Tourism:** The tourism industry can leverage the concept of live smartphone tours to enhance the travel experience by providing unique and immersive virtual journeys. - **Technology:** The advancements in smartphone technology and video streaming capabilities open up disruptive innovation opportunities for the tech industry to develop platforms supporting live smartphone tourism. - **E-commerce:** The integration of payment systems like Paypal into live smartphone tourism platforms creates a potential disruption in the e-commerce industry by facilitating seamless transactions for virtual travel experiences. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Real-Time App-Based City Guides](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-welcome-app.md) - [Travel-Inspired VR Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/othersight.md) - [Virtual City Explorers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/city-explorers.md) - [Travel-Focused Audio Guide Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/catalogue-of-audio-guides.md) - [Smart City Exploration Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/purrwalk.md) - [Social Travel Exploration Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/roameio.md) - [AI-Powered Storytelling Travel Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/journi.md) - [AI-Powered Adventure Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/globe-chaser.md) - [Personalized Guided Audio Tours](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wegotrip.md)