An Interview With Omo & Eulanda, HDYTI Founders, HDYTI

1.       How did you get started in this business?

O: I am originally from Nigeria, and I came to London ten years ago on a consulting job.

M: I came to London for graduate school five years ago, met Omo, and have been here since.

O&M: We started HDYTI (Hey! Dip Your Toes In) in February 2015.  We are very honoured to have won the 2016 UK Blog Awards for Best Food & Drink blog, and Highly Commended in the travel category.

2.       How do you differentiate your business from the many travel bloggers out there?  How do you see the business growing?

We do not follow trends blindly or intentionally try to stand out. Instead we find our own niche, we love connecting with people. We are sincere, we don’t sell false impressions, and we make it feel real with real stories. We each have our own jobs with real responsibilities but we prioritise travel in our lives.  As you can see, we both have our own unique personalities, and we bring two different perspectives of the world to every new place that we go to.

We see this blog as a travel platform with unique content. We are currently working on a Euro Food campaign where we go to 24 European restaurants and write about it. It is about food, community and football; about connections and sharing content. We are thinking of starting an e-book after this.

We see this blog business as a media platform. Eventually we want to involve other writers with their expertise areas, include video content, and become a community of resources. We have been working as a team, and we see this working with other writers as teamwork.  We also want to continue the relationship with clients, using data and technology to analyse performance and to share reports with them. The relationship does not end with just a written piece of work.

3.       How do you think we can enhance the awareness of Singapore as a tourist destination?

Definitely showcase the unique food culture, through the food sharing economy. This can be e.g. going to a local’s home or market, and connecting with the community.  

It is a combination of experiences.  You can capitalise on e.g. a sports event, but focus on food, history, and participate in the local culture.

You can also include a component to contribute to the local community. We try to include such aspects of ethical tourism in our travels.

Stopover deals are useful to encourage transit passengers to spend some time in the city, and twitter chats can be used consistently to engage people and influencers from all over the world.

Thank you, Omo & Eulanda.