Editor’s note: This article was first published in May 2011. The business example, including the 39-euro daily rate, the 500-euro deposit and the claim that tech rental is in demand, is from that time. The company may no longer operate.
Two Spanish entrepreneurs have found a profitable business by meeting a need of tourists visiting Spain. Where tourists once had to bring a phrasebook, a city map and a guidebook to visit monuments, the apps now available for Steve Jobs’s star product make things easier for them than ever.
Of course, an iPad isn’t cheap and not everyone can afford one. That’s where Padinthecity.com comes in, giving tourists the chance to rent an iPad for 39 euros a day, either at their hotel or online.
The business idea is viable and profitable, partly because the company requires customers to pay a 500-euro deposit, which discourages theft of the device.
I don’t know this company’s turnover or its future prospects, but it’s clear that with good advertising in hotels and car rental companies, and by finding ways to get noticed by tourists, this simple business could be quite profitable.
The rental or leasing of tech products is currently in demand, so it’s a market niche worth keeping an eye on.
Further reading
- Business ideas in leisure and tourism
- Business ideas for beating the crisis, including what to do with a country estate or old house
- Gay and lesbian tourism as a business opportunity
- Business tourism: another great idea
Featured image: Herzi Pinki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
