CityGuyd taps augmented reality to create social distancing travel experiences

CityGuyd brings the travel industry and augmented reality (AR) technology together to create engaging travel experiences that can be done during the pandemic.

Naor Amir, the founder of CityGuyd, works as an AR/VR prototype engineer, where he focuses on building consumer-orientated AR glasses platforms for leading tech companies. He is a member of Miami Travel Massive.

Read more about how CityGuyd is embracing the post-COVID travel experience.

How did you get into the travel industry?

I was a young engineer working in the Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR/VR) space at Magic Leap where I helped work on the companies state of the art AR glasses technology.

As an avid traveler, I saw the need for a more updated way of getting around in the new world – and believed AR/VR had untapped potential in the travel industry.

I pitched some ideas to my friend Pauline Feder, a life long travel professional, and we came up with something we thought could be a real game-changer in the industry. And that’s how CityGuyd was born.

What is CityGuyd about?

CityGuyd brings new advancements in AR technologies directly to travelers in a novel and exciting manner. We augment real-life tour guides on the grounds of tourist destinations across the globe.

The Covid-19 crisis has really shaken the entire travel industry – and now is the perfect time for a fundamental rethinking of the way the world travels. That’s where we believe CityGuyd comes in.

What is unique about CityGuyd?

CityGuyd will prove to be the bridge between the travel industry and the approaching AR technological revolution. When a traveler approaches a new landmark, all they have to do is hold out their phones and our AR tour guides pop up to tell them everything they need to know (in the language most convenient to the user) right through their own screen.

Currently, travelers have to juggle multiple apps & websites when they travel. Group tours are both expensive and have rigid itineraries. Private tour guides are even more expensive and can be a hassle to find.

CityGuyd is a socially distant way for travelers to get a safe face-to-face tour guide experience that is exciting – and always right in your pocket.

How is CityGuyd changing the future of travel?

We’ve spent the past two years trying to convince the world of the need to “digitalize” the tour guide experience, given the rise of digital-focused millennial generation and the fast rise of AR/VR technologies. The current Covid-19 crisis has only made that need even more apparent.

Future integration with AR glasses will truly revolutionize the way the world travels.

What’s another travel company you admire and why?

We are big fans of Ascape VR and the general work being done to bring new ideas and fresh technologies to an industry that many times feels a bit antiquated.

Virtual Reality travel has boomed given the current Covid-19 travel restrictions and is opening a whole segment of the market – one that is open to adopting new technologies.

Traveling is one of the best experiences people can have but often times feels too difficult given our tech-savvy world. We’re excited about travelers getting new 21st century options that make traveling easier and more convenient.

Watch the video to learn how CityGuyd works: 

Follow Naor Amir on Travel Massive to connect with him and learn more about CityGuyd.