'Un-touristen' as a verb

How do you turn the many visits from around the world into meaningful encounters with locals?

The Untourist Guide

The Untourist movement focuses on the positive impact that travel can have by making the many visits by people around the world as useful and fun as possible for everyone involved. The Untourist Guide is an online platform where various activities can be booked in the theme "funtribute". For example, tourists go Weed Dating in the Gardens of West, make a zero waste souvenir from plastic waste, buy lunch for the homeless or sail on the Plastic Wale through the canals and at the same time clean up plastic. In addition to the platform, The Untourist movement has developed a visionary travel guide that offers do it yourself inspiration, the sale of which contributes financially to the survival of the movement. There is also a visitor point in the Iamsterdam Store on De Ruijterkade. Purpose Lab spoke to innovation strategist and co-founder Eelko Hamer whose approach is to always think from the risk side version the threat side.

"Change with a smile"

Change with a smile is the vision of initiators Eelko Hamer (innovation strategist) and Elena and Sabine from bureau Wonder. The main motivation in this collaboration was to map out the new opportunities for both open-minded tourists and local Amsterdam pioneers. The "change with a smile" approach is one that immediately got them excited. Eelko Hamer: "I am an intuitive entrepreneur who is driven by complexity, challenges and creativity, and who is looking for an impactful relationship between them. Together with Wonder, I have been able to discover traction by grabbing something that is useful and inspiring. The Untourist Guide offers solutions and we are proud of it."

Inspired by personal experiences

For Eelko The Untourist Guide is the first project in the field of travel. He did, however, gain a lot of inspiration during the period that he lived abroad for a short time. "I did a project abroad on my own twice, once in San Francisco and once in London. I loved living in another city for a month and living a full life there including biking, birthdays and a (babysitter) cat. In both cases I gave up a job and got a job for this local experience that I wanted to have with myself. I learned from this that whatever you do, making real contact is essential. With The Untourist Guide we make contact: change starts with a group of people who want to put their shoulders to the wheel together. "

More information

Do you want to know how The Untourist Guide visitors and residents show each other added value? Check the website of this movement. For more information about its initiators, please visit the website of Eelko Hamer and Wonder. The header photo credits are for Twycer.