Description
The Fédération des Gîtes et Chambres d'hôtes de Wallonie non-profit organization, established in 1989, operates an online app that showcases the vast quantity of rural accommodation offered in the Wallonia region of Belgium. Hosts can post their accommodation with image and text information, while visitors and tourists can use the search tools to identify suitable locations and the contact details of the provider.
Technology
The online application showcases and displays the local rural accommodation in Wallonia, Belgium, although no bookings or payments are conducted through the app. The app provides only basic information about the offered accommodation and the contact details of the provider. Searches can be filtered by the number of people, available dates and the type of destination. The accommodation detailed on the online app is presented in the following categories: gîte (holiday rental home); high capacity gîte; grouped multiple gîtes; chalets; castles; accommodation with special views; and Bed and Breakfast.
Target
More than 800 local accommodation providers are registered on the online app, and include agritourism farms, private accommodation providers and thematic rural accommodation providers in Wallonia. Accommodation providers must register on the system and log in to add information, while those on the demand side, who are not obliged to register or log in to access the app, include, families, individuals, enterprises, groups and public authorities with an interest in visiting Wallonia either for holiday, work or any other reason.
Business model
There is no commission fee applied for accessing the online app, nor for accessing the contact information of the accommodation providers, which includes websites, email addresses and phone numbers. The app has been established through public supports dispersed under the EU-funded Rural Development Programme and the General Committee for Tourism in Wallonia.
Impact
The online app aims to increase and promote the use of rural accommodation in Wallonia through marketing and communication, and seeks to ease the searchability and booking experience on the consumer side, providing members of the public with an alternative to the commercial online travelling agencies that currently dominate the tourism market. By offering complementary services like a label and certification scheme, the online app aims to raise and protect the quality standards in rural accommodation, taking a different approach to the customer feedback and rating metrics approach adopted by commercial apps.
Partners
Rural Tour; Association pour la Promotion du Tourisme Rural au Grand Duché du Luxembourg; Visit Wallonia; Commissariat général au Tourisme
Four Betters
Better life
