The most interesting thing I’ve done as a Local Guide by far is making unknown places more famous. My pictures make up to 20000 views and sometimes more which means that my contributions are indeed useful!! Actually I never expected them to reach that number! I felt the most useful when I posted pictures of places people had known but no pictures of them were online. I had the chance to visit the Great forest of Debrecen and took simple pictures of nature, by uploading them on Google Maps I realized nobody had done that before, particularly not the locals. The reason why I posted these pictures is simply because I loved walking in that forest and felt so peaceful in there. The pictures made up to 334 views.
Places that were really impressive were the Juventus Store in Rome which made 20982 views,
One of the places that also didn’t have a photo on Google Maps was the General Delegation of palestine in spain, I actually found that place by accident while walking back to my hotel in Madrid, I noticed the flag of Plaestine then read the name on the door and was surprised there was such thing in Spain. I uploaded the picture on Google Maps and it made 14645 views
The hotel in which I was staying was just a few miles farther, it had a nice view on Madrid Towers and a cosy playground right below, the picture of the linion Pio Hotel in Madrid made 4972 views. For this one, other pictures were already available on the website but that was my first picture uploaded on Google Maps as a LOCAL GUIDE, so it’s kind of significant to me.
The most impressive were the numbers made by my pictures of local places in my hometown. I grew up in a small very quiet seaside city which becomes a little overpopulated during summer with visits from other Algerian cities. I decided to do something for the local tourism in my country so I posted pictures of my favourite beach and apartments that were available for rent, the pictures made up to 2600 views (there are actually two shores and a harbour in this city, other pictures of the shores are on my Instagram account: mmengouchi).
This experience made me more eager to guide not only about places in foreign countries I have been to, but places in my area, thus make them known to the international public. I’d say the most successful posts were a local Gym I go to which made more than 4000 views and a tourist area in Tlemcen which made more than 3700 views.
Beni Aad Caves, Tlemcen Algeria
Cascades Ourit in Tlemcen
The most ancient Mosque in Tlemcen, Algeria, Sidi Boumediene, photo made 947 views
Then inside the Palace of Sidi Boumediene, the earliest Islamic leader in this area, photo made 1299 views.
I loved the experience as a Local Guide, the idea of helping people find places is just amazing… My focus now is on the places that deserve to be discovered in my area and which I will be featuring more often 