Originally from the Northeast of England, 20 year veteran of the tourist industry Mike Norton arrived in Shanghai in 2009 with the first double-decker tour buses in China.Ever the innovator, he recently launched GPS Walks, which works through a WeChat mini-program, meaning you can begin your tour at any time you like, and stop and start whenever and wherever you please.We caught up with Norton to hear more about his Shanghai walking tour revolution… and his mission to do away with notorious flag-wielding, sidewalk-hogging tour groups.How did GPS Walks come about?
When you join a walking tour, you normally join a group which assembles at specific times, maybe only once or twice a month.It moves slowly too, because everybody has to gather around a guide when they have something to say. If you stop to take a picture, you need to catch up; if someone else stops, everyone needs to wait.What I wanted to do was create an experience for people to be able to explore the city on their own terms, without the need for tour guides or to be a part of large groups.
Shanghai has a great history and so many historic buildings, but sometimes the interesting stories behind those places, and some of the great characters that made Shanghai their home, aren't told.
There's often something really interesting hidden down a lane that we walk past every day, but we had no idea it existed.I created these GPS Walks to give people a chance to explore the city and find a few things that perhaps might surprise them.
