Destination planning site TripBod is teaming up with VisitBritain to allow visitors to buy in personal travel services before they arrive in the country.
The idea is actually quite simple. TripBod has an army of experts - or Bods - dotted around the UK who can be bought by prospective tourists to either give them a brief welcome and overview to a city or carry out full tours of a destination.
The scheme is being piloted in five areas around the UK, following a successful test in Germany over the summer.
Visitors to the VB Shopping website can buy the time of a Bod for the two different programmes: Meet and Greet (60-minute welcome and intro) or Explore (90 minute guided tour), starting at £35 a session.
TripBod says the experiences offered by the Bods in-resort will be tailored to the requirements of the paying customer, a extension of its existing scheme which is to provide information and tips to destinations around the world via the web before the customer arrives.
TripBod and VisitBritain have a revenue-share agreement in place.
The one-year old startup has spent the past few months recruiting people around the UK to act as Bods for visitors, making sure there are enough in place to handle bookings seven days a week.
The booking system will be available on the global site and also on specific national VB shops in Australia, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands and the USA.