GeoBeats - travel guides gone video

Visual medium is the most powerful and effective means of communication. As they say - a picture speaks more than a thousand words. Video takes the game to a whole new level. The success of YouTube and proliferation of video on the Internet has opened the possibilities of applying this powerful medium to new avenues.

Enter Geobeats - video tours for tourist destinations. I checked them out when they launched last year and in the short time that they’ve been in business - they’ve managed to generate a sizeable amount of content on a variety of international tourist destinations. No, Geobeats in not your typical video sharing site. Neither do they rely on User Generated Content. Rather, the videos are created by professional filmmakers and feature a host (local to the destination), who walks you through the interesting things that the destination has to offer to travelers - be it tourist attractions, local etiquette, local transportation, local food etc. Unlike amateur tourist videos, the videos on Geobeats are very well shot and edited.

I think Geobeats offers a lot of value to tourists in several ways:

1) For several destinations, they have videos on local etiquette, local transportation, local phrases, local delicacies and local culture. For an interested tourist, these videos offer amazing insights into the tourist destination - beyond the regular tourist attractions.

2) There is an ‘Ask’ feature for several of the video hosts. See below for a sample:

Using this feature, Geobeats users can ask any question they may have about the destination to the video host. For example: “what are some of the lesser known attractions, what are some of the good nightlife places” etc.

3) The quality of the videos is crisp, unlike the shaky amateur videos.

The site is very well designed and has a clean look. You can also embed the videos on your own website / blog and comment on videos.

I have some feedback for team Geobeats:

Like the local etiquette and local transportation videos, offer a video that will provide a quick overview of the destination. Some destinations do have this, but the info in these overview videos seems lacking in some respects. If I were planning to visit Buenos Aires and view the related overview video, it does not provide me some basic information - whats the best time to visit the place, lodging options, how safe it is at night etc…All such background information would help me in planning and making decisions related to my travel.
It would be difficult to capture all such nuances in video format. Probably, a wiki comprising such details would perfectly complement the video content ? I’m just thinking out loud here.

I’d also like to know why they chose not to opt for user generated content. Quality of videos aside, user generated content can be a great driving force for the site. And UGC and editorial content can co-exist and thrive on the site.
Overall, I think GeoBeats has identified a good niche - None of the big travel sites offer a videos option yet. The closest competitor that comes to mind is Travelistic. Over time, as the list of destinations and related content keeps increasing, I think GeoBeats has the potential to become pretty popular.

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One Response to “GeoBeats - travel guides gone video”

1. Geobeats adds maps and travel info into its video player on July 25th, 2007 5:45 pm

   [...] Since the time I reviewed GeoBeats, a lot many new destinations seem to have been added to the site. And the quality of the videos is simply amazing. [...]