What Korei Guided Tours does

Korei Guided Tours is a Brussels-based non-profit organization (vzw under Belgian law) founded in 1995 by Arlette Clauwers, specializing in expert-guided tours of Brussels architecture, heritage, art, and urban development. The organization operates a catalog of more than 50 unique interior visits and guided walks organized across six thematic pillars (Landmark, Visionary urban development, Iconic styles, Architecture now, Funerary heritage/parks/landscape architecture, Temporary exhibitions/museums). Its core asset is a network of 60 freelance guides with specialized credentials — architects, engineers, art historians, and cultural specialists — who deliver tours in Dutch, English, French, and German.

The company operates with a small office team of approximately 19 employees supporting the freelance guide network, headquartered at Zaterdagplein 6 in central Brussels. Its technology infrastructure is minimal: the organization uses Eguide, an online booking platform, to manage reservations, quote workflows for group bookings, and self-serve individual ticket sales through the public agenda. No proprietary software, apps, or APIs are developed; the company is explicitly positioned as a service business rather than a technology company.

Revenue is generated through three professional-services streams: customized group guided tours (priced €160-€350 per tour depending on type, duration, and group size), individual public-agenda event tickets (€13-€40 per person), and commercial assignments that partially subsidize non-profit and educational access. The organization reinvests a portion of commercial revenue to maintain affordability for socio-cultural and non-profit clients, consistent with its non-profit mission. Distribution is direct-to-customer via the Eguide platform, supplemented by phone and email inquiry handling. Korei holds strategic site-access partnerships with Nextensa (Tour & Taxis), Van Buuren Museum, and several Brussels cultural institutions, and has exclusive or preferential access to certain private sites such as La Nouvelle Maison.

Name

Korei Guided Tours

Legal name

Korei Guided Tours vzw

Website

https://korei.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Korei Guided Tours is a Brussels non-profit founded in 1995 that delivers expert-led architectural and heritage tours to individual visitors, groups, and corporate clients via a network of 60 freelance specialist guides and the Eguide booking platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Tourism Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Architecture & Urban Design Tours (THAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guided Tours & Interpretive Services (Ranger-Led, Naturalist, Cultural Interpretation) (THAAAGAB), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), FIT & Private Tour Operators (Customized Day Tours) (THAKAEAC)

Keywords

• Guided architectural tours
• Heritage walking tours
• Cultural tourism services
• Interior building visits
• Art history tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Group Guided Tours: Revenue from customized guided tours for groups (associations, companies, socio-cultural organizations). Prices vary by tour type, duration, and group size, starting from €160 for Van Buuren tours up to €350 for specialized tours.
2. Public Agenda Events: Individual tickets sold through the public agenda for regularly scheduled guided tours. Ticket prices range from €13 to €40 per person depending on the tour.
3. Commercial Assignments: Revenue from commercial/profitable assignments that is partially reinvested to subsidize non-profit and social initiatives, ensuring accessibility of guided tours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Korei Guided Tours is a non-profit tour operator offering more than 50 guided interior visits and walking tours in Brussels focused on architecture, heritage, visual arts, and urban development. Tours are delivered by 60 freelance specialist guides (architects, engineers, art historians) in Dutch, English, French, and German, and are sold either as customized group bookings or as individual tickets through a public agenda. Exclusive interior access to normally closed private buildings (Hôtel Solvay, Van Buuren, Maison Cauchie, La Nouvelle Maison, Flagey, KVS) is a core differentiator.

Product overview

Korei Guided Tours is a tour operator offering more than 50 guided interior visits and walking tours in Brussels organized around six themes: Landmark architecture, Visionary urban development, Iconic styles, Contemporary architecture, Funerary heritage and landscape architecture, and Museum exhibitions. The company provides both group bookings (custom tours) and individual tickets (agenda events) through its booking platform Eguide. Core tour offerings include specialized heritage visits such as Hôtel Solvay (UNESCO-listed Art Nouveau), Van Buuren Museum (Art Deco), Tour & Taxis, European Quarter, and various architectural walking tours covering Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and modernist districts throughout Brussels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brussels Biennale of Modern Architecture (BBMA): Cultural event founded by Korei in 2014 to promote awareness of modernist heritage in Brussels

Products and services

• Hôtel Solvay Tour Interior guided visit of Hôtel Solvay in Brussels, Victor Horta's Art Nouveau masterpiece built 1894-1903 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with expert interpretation of its synthesis of architecture, technology, aesthetics and craftsmanship.
• Van Buuren Museum and Gardens Tour Interior guided tour of the Art Deco villa of David and Alice van Buuren, a preserved total work of art combining art, architecture, and lifestyle, including the gardens designed by Jules Buyssens and René Péchère.
• Tour & Taxis Site Tour Guided tour of the Tour & Taxis site in Brussels, a former logistics hub transformed into a mixed urban district featuring the Gare Maritime, Royal Depot, and Hôtel de la Poste, delivered in partnership with site owner/developer Nextensa.
• European Quarter Tour Walking tour through the European Quarter (Leopold neighborhood), exploring the political heart of Europe with the iconic buildings of the European Commission and European Parliament.
• Observatory District Tour Walking tour through the Observatory District in Uccle, showcasing architecture from cottage-style villas to modernist houses, including the Royal Observatory and works by Henry Van de Velde.
• Art Deco in the City Centre Tour Walking tour exploring interwar Art Deco architecture in Brussels city center, featuring landmarks including Bozar, Taverne Espérance, and the Shell building.
• Maison Cauchie Tour Interior guided visit of Maison Cauchie, designed by architect Paul Cauchie in 1905, known for its exuberant facade adorned with delicate sgraffito motifs and total work of art interior.
• Coudenberg Palace Tour Underground guided tour of the archaeological site of the Coudenberg Palace, once one of Europe's most impressive palaces, featuring medieval corridors and remains of the Aula Magna.
• KVS (Royal Flemish Theatre) Tour Behind-the-scenes interior guided visit of the Royal Flemish Theatre, a historic building transformed with architect Michel Verliefden's contemporary intervention 'De Bol' (The Ball).
• Warandepark Tour Walking tour through Warandepark, Brussels' oldest public park, exploring its history from ducal hunting ground to elegant promenade between the Royal Palace and Federal Parliament.
• Flagey Building Tour Interior guided visit of Flagey, a cultural building originally a package boat terminal transformed into a sound factory featuring theaters and studio facilities.
• Agenda Events (Individual Public Tours) Regular scheduled guided tours for individual participants, with tickets ranging from €13 to €40 per person depending on the tour, sold through Korei's online public agenda.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 25,000 people reached annually through guided tours

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NextensacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNextensa is the owner and developer of the Tour & Taxis site. Korei collaborates with Nextensa to offer guided tours of the historic Tour & Taxis complex, including Gare Maritime and Koninklijk Pakhuis. The partnership enables access to this industrial heritage site for cultural tours.
• Design Museum BrusselsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural partner listed on Korei's website, indicating mutual promotional relationship within Brussels' cultural ecosystem.
• Brussels PhilharmonicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural institution partner in Korei's network, suggesting collaborative promotion of Brussels cultural activities.
• FlageyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural partner offering joint promotion of Brussels' cultural venues and events.
• Van Buuren MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorei offers exclusive guided tours of the Van Buuren Museum and Gardens. The museum's art deco interior and landscape gardens are key tour products. This is a primary partnership for interior visit tours.
• Vlaamse GemeenschapscommissieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment body listed as a supporter, indicating institutional backing and potential funding support for cultural activities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Walks (Devour Tours): Small-group themed walking tour brand (including Devour Tours) operating European city tours with local experts; comparable to Korei on guided-experience business model and group format.
• Withlocals: Online marketplace connecting travelers with independent local guides across European cities; offers Brussels architecture and food tours and competes for the same freelance-guide supply and tourist demand.
• Context Travel: Global small-group expert-led tour operator specializing in architecture, art, and history tours; runs Brussels architecture itineraries with PhD/expert guides and represents the closest specialist competitor model to Korei.
• Brussels Walking Tours: A Brussels-based guided walking tour operator covering city center, EU Quarter, and key landmarks; competes directly with Korei for individual and small-group customers in the same geography.
• A Brussels Guide: Brussels-based bespoke private guide service for individual travelers and groups; comparable to Korei on custom guided experiences and language coverage.
• Free Walking Tours Brussels: Tip-based walking tour provider operating daily tours of Brussels main sights; directly competes with Korei's public agenda walking tours on price-sensitive tourist demand.

Broad incumbents

• Tootbus Brussels: Pan-European hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus brand with Brussels operations; broader incumbent offering scheduled city tours that overlap with Korei's coach-and-walking concepts.
• Brussels City Sightseeing: Hop-on-hop-off bus tour operator in Brussels; serves a broader mass-tourism segment than Korei but competes for sightseeing-tour spend in the same destination.

Others

• GetYourGuide: Global tours-and-activities marketplace that distributes third-party tour operators (including architecture and walking tours in Brussels); acts as a marketing/distribution channel that competes for direct bookings against Korei's own Eguide platform.
• Visit Brussels: Official Brussels tourism board promoting the city's cultural attractions and tour providers; complementary rather than competitive, but influences demand for Korei's guided tours.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koreiguidedtours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Korei Guided Tours