Cycle tour start-up’s personal touch drives 12,000pc growth in first two years of its companion service for independent travellers
Bikego started two years ago in one city with five staff; today it serves 13 and has 600 staff. Its mission to provide authentic experiences led by local guides who treat customers as friends resonates with domestic Chinese tourists
Good food, friends, new experiences and interaction with local people: these are the ingredients for a worthwhile holiday, according to Bi Sheng, founder of a young Chinese online travel company called Bikego.
And it would seem he is not alone – domestic Chinese tourists are no longer content to take the traditional tour bus approach, with 97 per cent of them choosing to travel independently in 2017, according to a report conducted by Mafengwo Travel Research Centre and China Tourism Academy.
Sensing a demand for more in-depth travel experiences, Bi Sheng started his own cycle tours company in 2016 in Dali, Yunnan province. At the time Bikego had five staff – now it has expanded its services to 13 cities across the country, with more than 600 staff, of whom 100 are full-time.
“When I went to Hong Kong, my friend took me to these food stalls where people were lining up to buy their wonton noodles, and to the seafood market to taste the freshest seafood and experience the local lifestyle,” says Bi, citing it as an example of the type of authentic experience he wanted his company to provide.
In Chengdu, for example, clients (most of whom are domestic travellers) are taken to a historic teahouse inside the People’s Park, where residents spend their time having tea and playing cards. Here they can learn some Sichuan dialect while enjoying a brew in the afternoon sun.
