CES 2021 Port's innovative live video guide facilitates remote travel during COVID-19 pandemic

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Jan 12, 2021, 06:33 ET

TAIPEI, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Port is a Singapore-based startup selected by Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) as one of the 100 featured startups showcased at CES 2021. Port expands the remote world by enabling professionals and (grounded) business travelers to visit destinations from home through live video calls with remote guides around the world.

"We call it remote travel. You can request and book a guide on Port to help you visit an event or venue remotely and the guide will follow your instructions, help with basic translation, and interact with the environment on your behalf," said Port co-founder Philip Man.

He said the Port platform is connected to a worldwide network of guides and allows you to request guides to do a tour or attend events. Guides use the Port video call software that is optimized for real-time engagement, mobility, and travel productivity.

"You can take photos using the guide's camera that we store in your Port photo album, and the guide's GPS location can be saved and stored for you to reference later if you see something interesting. You can also remotely control the direction of the guide's camera if you need more flexibility.

The company serves as a remote travel enabler for businesses who use Port services to fulfill their remote travel needs. Moreover, Port also operates a marketplace where guides can offer their own remote tour products."

Port remote traveling for everyone with a free soul

Port remote traveling is for everyone who is curious about the world they live in and who enjoys traveling and exploring.

Whether it's showing you a sushi chef in Japan or street dancers in Rio de Janeiro. Now imagine you can talk to them directly, learning, interacting, and connecting with them. That's the power of remote traveling that Port wants everyone to have.

Despite the pandemic, people still want to experience and learn about destinations they have always been interested in. They also want to enjoy and share their experiences with friends and family around the globe. Furthermore, using Port allows users to preview a destination before going there in person and helps with trip planning.

More than just traveling virtually - It is all about the real and live experience

William Sjahrial, the co-founder of Port, notes that remote travel is not the same as virtual travel. "For some people, any type of experience through your screens is considered 'virtual'. However, virtual implies that it is a simulated environment, which remote traveling is not. Just like remote work is not called virtual work because it's still real, not a simulation," he said.

Port Remote Travel gives users the experience of being at a place through live, interactive video calls. The environment and the tour guide are not simulated. They can react to the environment you are walking in with the tour guide in real-time.

Guides have a flat fee of USD 59 per 60-minute session. Travel time to the event is not counted, so you have a full hour on the expo floor with your guide. That means when you book an hour at the event, the guide will start inside at the event and you have a full hour to walk around.

Decades of experience to enrich your life

Philip Man, Port Co-founder and CEO, has more than 10 years' experience building and scaling online consumer platforms. His previous experience includes serving as marketing and product managers for web and mobile applications with over 15 million active monthly users.

William Sjahrial, Port Co-founder and CTO, has two decades of experience in software engineering and mobile development. He built his own mobile development business that was acquired by a Japanese conglomerate.

CES 2021 TTA-VR Pavilion: https://pse.is/3bhbs4

SOURCE Port