Justine Simpson
Profile
Justine Co-Founded I’m Free Walking Tours & maps at the age of 22. A company that thinks about tourism differently. Offering a free service, relying solely on the traveller to determine the price. 11 years on, I’m Free Tours has become the largest operator of walking tours in Australia, connecting 100,000 tourists per year with the local culture of Sydney and Melbourne in a easy and honest way.
Experience
Regularly speak and engage with groups of 30+ on a daily basis.
1. Maintaining company values and ethics is the key to a successful tourism company.
2. Reinvention of tourism, the changing industry and why small businesses need to think forward using technology and new ideas.
Gone are the days of you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours in tourism. The customer is looking for a genuine local experience. What does this mean for tourism into the future? What creative businesses will emerge? How do small business compete with the AirBnbs or TripAdvisors of this world? I strong believe we’re stronger when we work together, working towards the common goal of genuinely providing the best experience for the customer. We need to think creatively together, not working against each other and undercutting.