AR-Powered Audio Tour Platform for Independent Tour Guides

Tourific is a travel technology platform that connects tourists with independent tour guides through self-guided audio tours enhanced with augmented reality. The platform emerged from a simple observation: after COVID, more travelers turned to online resources to plan and experience destinations, but the options were limited to blog articles and generic review sites. Meanwhile, professional tour guides struggled to reach potential customers outside of in-person bookings with tight scheduling constraints. Tourific creates a marketplace where guides can publish paid audio tours for specific cities and locations. Tourists purchase and listen to guided tours at their own pace, with AR overlays that bring historical sites and landmarks to life through their phone camera. The platform handles payments with split revenue between guides and the platform, removing the friction of scheduling and pricing that limited both sides.

1. 01

   Tour guides had limited digital channels to reach tourists. Most relied on in-person bookings with tight scheduling that capped their earning potential. After COVID accelerated digital tourism, there was an opportunity to create a marketplace for self-guided experiences - but the platform needed to justify both guides investing time in creating tours and tourists paying for digital content.

2. 02

   Designing an experience that made audio tours feel immersive and worth paying for - not just a podcast with a map. The AR component needed to add genuine value at specific landmarks. The guide creation interface needed to be simple enough for non-technical tour professionals to publish quality content.

3. 03

   Integrating augmented reality (Viro AR kit) with GPS-triggered audio playback, Google Maps and Apple Maps for navigation, and a payment system with split revenue between guides and the platform. Building this across both web and native mobile (React.js + React Native) while ensuring AR performed reliably at real-world landmarks.

• AR sightseeing experiences (Viro AR kit)

  Viro-based AR overlays anchored to specific landmarks — bringing historical context to life through the phone camera.

• Admin panel with analytics

  Platform admins manage tours, guides, payouts, and disputes, with marketplace-level analytics on what is selling.

• Audio-guided tour player with location-based playback

  GPS-triggered audio that plays the right segment as the tourist arrives at each landmark — without manual track switching.

• Google Maps and Apple Maps integration

  Both maps services wired in for navigation and location anchoring, so the experience works natively on iOS and Android.

• Google, Apple, and email authentication

  Three sign-in options reduce signup friction for both tourists and guides on every platform.

• RevenueCat subscription and in-app purchases

  RevenueCat handles tour purchases, subscriptions, and entitlements; the platform reads state to unlock content.

• Role-based access (admin, guide, tourist)

  Three distinct experiences sharing one platform — guides publish, tourists discover, admins moderate and pay out.

• Tour management CRUD for guides

  Non-technical guides can create, edit, and publish tours — uploading audio, placing AR anchors, and pricing — without engineering help.

• Tour marketplace with purchase and split payment

  Marketplace flow with automated split between guide and platform on each purchase, removing manual payout work.

• Web platform for guide management and tour browsing

  Desktop site for guides who manage from a computer and tourists who browse before traveling.

• iOS & Android mobile applications

  Native-feeling apps on both stores via React Native, with platform-specific AR and IAP plumbing.

• AR + Audio

  Augmented reality experiences working at real-world landmarks, synchronized with audio-guided narration and map navigation

• 100%

  MVP delivered within the agreed scope, with all core features - AR, audio tours, maps, payments - functional from day one

• Revenue sharing

  Split payment system live from launch - guides receive their share automatically for each tour purchase

• 3 platforms

  iOS, Android, and web delivered with full AR, audio tour, and marketplace functionality

1. 1
   Step 1 / 4

   Worked with the founder to define the minimum viable marketplace - which features would convince both guides to publish tours and tourists to purchase them. Prioritized the AR experience and audio player as the core differentiators, with maps integration and payment as essential infrastructure.

2. 2
   Step 2 / 4

   Designed separate experiences for tourists (tour discovery, audio playback with AR, maps navigation) and guides (tour creation, content upload, earnings dashboard). The tourist experience prioritized immersion - minimal UI during active tours so the audio and AR take center stage.

3. 3
   Step 3 / 4

   Built simultaneously for web and mobile, integrating Viro AR kit for augmented reality, Google/Apple Maps for navigation, and RevenueCat for payment processing with automated revenue split. The audio player was designed with location-aware triggers for a truly guided experience.

4. 4
   Step 4 / 4

   Tested AR functionality at real landmarks, validated GPS-triggered audio playback accuracy, stress-tested the payment split system, and submitted to both app stores.