I’ll try to keep it short 
Local guides mean to me an huge opportunity for healthy community development.
Especially for the business and local places, they get very authentic feedbacks and are able to use information form people that reallt want to engage and help, for getting better and so influencing everyone. It is also a practical guide for consumers, since they can visit places for the first time based on reviews and experiences. 
An organized and practical information plattform is very important for any kind of development. Too much information without organization can confuse people or take too much time to be used.
So I think that the Local Guides program is a very effective way of getting and sharing information that brings benefits for all users: business or customers. 