TakeMeTour adds Pokemon to service

Now, you can buy a Pokemon tour package to chase these monsters with the help of qualified local experts, said Noppon Anukunwithaya, chief operating officer and co-founder of TakeMeTour.
“About two weeks before this mobile game was about to be launched here, our business-development team talked about the Pokemon Go experiences in other countries. Eventually, we decided to ask our 10,000 registered local experts if any of them would like to add a Pokemon tour as part of their service package since many are already playing this mobile game,” he said.
“For example, Khun Panupong, one of our tour guides for Bangkok attractions, is an avid Pokemon player, so he offers the Pokemon tour as a value-added feature of his tour service.
“Basically, TakeMeTour is an online marketplace for one-day tour packages. Usually, our local experts or tour guides, both part-time and full-time, provide foreign visitors a truly local experience, since they are locals who know the attractions, the culture, the do’s and don’ts etc well.
“These people can give visitors a local touch by providing a perspective and ideas not available in traditional travel packages. Take a day tour of a Bangkok floating market next to Klong Bangkokyai as an example. One of our tour guides is a Bangkok Yai resident and his package includes a visit to his home, where his grandmother is willing to cook and serve delicious home-made pad Thai to visitors.
“Or another guy in Bangkok’s Phra Khanong area may highlight the legendary Mae Nak Phra Khanong story and offer a tour along the popular but awe-inspiring route. In fact, we urge local people to create stories around their own places that we believe will give foreign visitors unique experiences while here.
“Our tour offers currently cover 40 provinces nationwide, and prices range from Bt500 to as much as Bt5,000 for a one-day guided tour, depending on activities and features.
“We also have evening packages for street food in Bangkok’s Chinatown area or Talad Rod Fai, among others.
“In fact, Bangkok was just voted as one of the world’s 20 best places for street food by CNN, so our local experts can advise foreigners on these local delicacies. Non-locals may not know how to order these foods properly to suit their palates and stomachs, so our guides can be helpful.
“Regarding the Pokemon fever, we’ve learned that many monsters could be found around the ubiquitous sarn phra bhumi [shrines] in Thailand. In this context, foreigners can learn about the importance of these places, the local culture and belief if they prefer to catch a few Pokemons around these places.
“As an additional service to our customers, we have stocked many pocket Wi-Fi gadgets and power banks for mobile phones so as to facilitate extended field trips by Pokemon Go fans. This will also help reduce cellular data usage for those using the pocket Wi-Fi.
“Most customers now come from Singapore, followed by those from the US and Malaysia, where we have just started the service with a local mobile-phone partner. They mostly come in small groups with an average number of three persons.
“Pokemon is a strong feature that helps potential customers know TakeMeTour better as we provide a combination of tour guides who really know their |places along with their favourite pastimes such as cooking or even catching the little monsters,” Noppon said.