How a young startup is taking the travel and sharing industries by storm, with the help of blockchain
The travel industry had an estimated 1.245 billion tourists in 2016, and there comes a time in every industry, when a truly disruptive force comes along and shakes all stakeholders to their foundations.
Everyone loves to unwind and recharge their batteries once in a while, and it takes an awful amount of research and investment to get it right (do we even still get it right?)
Most times, the information we use in shaping our thoughts, making our decisions are feedback left on websites by people, who could be writing anything to suit whatever purposes they have in mind.
There are many scenarios, where businesses were caught getting people to leave them favourable replies or even posing as travelers, to leave excellent reviews, when the services provided were no where close to acceptable standards.
Wrong information provided lead to awful travel experiences, and this could leave a scar on people, and could also hamper the growth of the travel industry.
A few years back, I took a trip to Kano, Nigeria for the first time. Before getting my documents ready, I naturally wanted to find out if it was safe over there, and wanted to have an idea of what to expect. (Boko Haram, hello?)
After getting information I felt was relevant, the next thing I did naturally, was to make my reservations. Before I did this, I went to probably the biggest hotel/travel related website in the country, and was reading reviews. I saw a hotel that looked okay, not too far from the airport (just in case I had to dash out real quick).
Recommendations left by everyone (about 10 people) there was at least, 4 stars and good, so I made a reservation.
On arrival, I took a taxi from the airport, straight to my hotel, and as I alighted from the taxi, I got puzzled looks from some guys around there (I’m quite observant).
Stepping into the hotel ( I don’t think it can even be called a motel), it was the worst inhabitable place I had ever seen in my life. I asked for their executive suite, and everything was a mess. The sheets had stains, bathroom was filthy, etc.
I had to take my leave, and those guys that were looking on earlier, told me they were actually surprised when they saw someone like me walking into that place, seeing it’s usually illegals from neighboring countries that make use of their facilities.
They went ahead to point me in the right direction, with regards to where I could get real standard hotels that were very affordable, and wonderful!
These guys helped me achieve almost exactly the Cool Cousin dream. They acted as Cousins (what locals are called on the platform) and the only difference being that I wouldn't have had to pass through that harrowing experience, before getting the best options to pick from, based on the recommendations of people on ground and in real time, at the location in question.
Cool Cousin is the closest thing to having a friend in every city in the world. The most
valuable source of information about a new destination is a local friend - a trusted
insider who knows your taste and can direct you to places that suit you. Unfortunately,
we don’t have a local friend in every city we visit, and online information and services
fail time and again to provide us with a good alternative.
Don’t get me wrong, they have been in existence since 2016, and already have over 500,000 users in over 70+ locations around the world. (That experience has to count for something, and 500,000 people can’t be wrong.)
What is disruptive, is the next phase they are entering.
Cool Cousin intends to take advantage of the blockchain to scale rapidly, and also improve security.
Using the blockchai enables the use of cryptocurrrencies to facilitate transactions and exchange of goods and services.
With the CUZ token (official token on the platform that would be used to conduct all transactions on the ecosystem), Cousins can get rewarded for sharing their in-depth knowledge of their cities, real time. Travelers can also earn by sharing the app with friends, correcting wrong feedback on the platform, and also sharing their travel experiences with the community.
Businesses won’t be left out either. They will be able to maintain and update relevant information on their business pages on the platform; and as the community grows, they will have the opportunity to exchange CUZ tokens for goods and services offered.
As the amount of users grow, so will the value of CUZ tokens.
Cool Cousin is revolutionizing the travel industry, by ensuring our experiences are as great as they can be, and we can get vital information when we need it. This model also ensures that the information provided is not compromised, seeing it’s a community effort, and businesses can’t go on to bribe every single member of the community.
This has never been seen in the industry, before now.
For the traveller, Cool Cousin reduces the cost involved in planning trips, as it eliminates the guessing game and other outdated information we might have. Pain and headaches also become a thing of the past.
A local would be in a better position to give information about his/her city, than someone in another location that gives information based on research conducted on the internet a few months or years back.
And for the local (Cousin), it’s an opportunity to share knowledge gained from experience, and also earn as a result of this.
With the CUZ tokens in the mix, users in the community now have an added incentive to be active and contribute, so they can earn more. This, among other factors discussed would foster engagement among users on the platform.
After going through everything, you can bet I have already signed up and received a mail from Callum (Global Community Manager).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Efforts need to be made to cover more locations.
For instance, Africa as a whole is still untapped, and there are millions of people making trips to Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Nigeria, yearly.
Doing this would see Cool Cousin scale at an even more rapid pace, and empower more locals in many more regions around the world.
It’s not everyday you have a scenario, where it’s a win for all parties involved. This is one of the beauties of a decentralised system on one hand, and the sharing economy on the other.
Cool Cousin is bringing the best of both worlds together, to ensure that lives are changed and improved, irrespective of one's stake in the industry.
The world needs revolutionaries, and you can clearly see that Cool Cousin is at the forefront.
Check out Cool Cousin, “CUZ” you know it’s going to be a life changing experience for you.
To become a Cousin, kindly click here
And oh, don’t forget to buy me a cup of coffee, while you are at it!
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This article was written based on the post made by@originalworks here .
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