Local Guide SaaS and Commission Platform

📌 Background

In 2026, China's tourism experience economy continues to heat up, with a surge in demand from C-end tourists for deep, localized experiences. B-end entities such as scenic spots, homestays, and operators are in urgent need of lightweight digital tools to enhance their service capabilities. Driven by policies promoting the integration of culture and tourism, as well as educational reform, study tours have been incorporated into school curricula, creating a strong market demand for the integration of certified and non-standard guide resources. The local guide platform achieves dual-stream profitability through SaaS subscriptions and transaction commissions, serving as an efficient intermediary connecting individuals with the industry.

👤 Target Customers

Scenic spots, theme parks, and boutique homestay operators (B-end paid SaaS subscription); independent travelers, study tour groups, and deep-travel users (C-end paying for guide itineraries/experience projects with platform commission); local certified guides/local hosts/influencers (individuals onboarding to receive orders, with platform commissions of 3%-8%, and additional service packages for private traffic integration).

💰 Revenue Streams

1) B2B SaaS subscription: Providing AI digital human guides, RAG knowledge bases, and itinerary planning/management backends to scenic spots/operators, charging annual technical subscription fees; 2) C-end transaction commission: Platform charges 3%-8% commission on local guide/experience itineraries purchased by tourists; 3) Value-added services: Content distribution (short video + local resource integration) and partner empowerment programs, driving customer traffic to small/medium merchants, gas stations, and convenience stores, while extracting tiered commissions.

🧮 Cost Structure

Platform technology R&D (SaaS + AI digital human + RAG database maintenance), local guide resource verification, training and quality control, marketing and channel promotion expenses, and human resources/operational costs (tech team + field promotion + customer service). Some offline field promotion costs are replaced by partner commission sharing.

🛡️ Moat

High stickiness of B-end scenic spot SaaS combined with accumulated datasets forming a RAG knowledge base barrier; rapid trust building through C-end user reviews and data accumulation; integration of 2000+ SKUs (customized/study tour/outdoor) and diverse local resource providers, forming a small-scale bilateral network effect.

🔑 Keys to Success

• High-quality AI digital humans + large model RAG precisely forming a knowledge base to reduce scenic spot labor costs.
• Acquiring customers through dense local partnerships (convenience stores/gas stations) with one-time tiered commissions.
• Standardized SaaS delivery significantly increasing penetration in non-A-grade scenic spot segments.

⚠️ Risks

• Leading OTAs lowering commissions or offering free SaaS, squeezing market space.
• Instability in local personnel supply (guide turnover/mismatched experiences) leading to customer complaints.
• Platform losing control of business processes once local clients digitize their operations.

🏢 Cases

• Trip.com 'Local Guide' (Certified guides/local hosts provide personal branding and itinerary customization, with multi-dimensional commissions or package pricing).
• Traveler Pro (Independent platform integrating RAG digital humans/map loading + annual scenic spot SaaS + vertical industry decomposition assistance).
• Sichuan gas station convenience store + commission sharing model (6-month performance: 2000+ SKUs handled, generating 250,000 in profit through cultural tourism conversion).

📊 SWOT Analysis