Built by people who know Icelandic tourism from the inside.
Our Purpose
Our Mission
Creating a better and clearer path for guides and travel companies to find each other and work together.
Guide Connect's mission is to create a better and clearer path for guides in Iceland and travel companies to find each other and work together. We aim to simplify processes that today often rely on personal networks, informal communication, and last-minute solutions, offering a shared platform that provides better oversight, transparency, and equality for all parties. We want to support guides in finding assignments that match their experience, expertise, and circumstances, while simultaneously making it easier for travel companies to staff their tours. By making information more accessible and communication more direct, we believe collaboration becomes simpler, fairer, and more stable than before.
Our Future
Our Vision
To become the shared digital platform for guide staffing in Iceland, where professionalism, trust, and clarity are at the forefront.
Guide Connect's vision is to become the shared digital platform for guide staffing in Iceland, where professionalism, trust, and clarity lead the way. We want to contribute to better working conditions for guides, more stability in assignments, and greater visibility of jobs and opportunities in the industry. At the same time, we aim to reduce administration, uncertainty, and pressure for travel agencies by offering simpler and more modern tools for hiring and scheduling. Through this, we want to contribute to a more sustainable tourism industry in Iceland, where human resources are used more effectively, guide quality is strengthened, and collaboration within the industry becomes healthier for the future.
Meet the Founders
The people behind Guide Connect
María Ester Guðjónsdóttir
Co-Founder & Business Lead
María is a tourism professional with extensive experience in guide coordination, operations, and agency workflows within the Icelandic travel industry. She has worked closely with tour operators and guides, giving her a first-hand understanding of the practical challenges involved in staffing, scheduling, and last-minute tour changes.
At GuideConnect, María is responsible for business development, operations, and customer engagement. She ensures that the platform reflects real industry needs, supports fair and transparent collaboration, and remains aligned with professional standards, sustainability goals, and regulatory requirements.
María Ester Guðjónsdóttir
Co-Founder & Business Lead
María is a tourism professional with extensive experience in guide coordination, operations, and agency workflows within the Icelandic travel industry. She has worked closely with tour operators and guides, giving her a first-hand understanding of the practical challenges involved in staffing, scheduling, and last-minute tour changes.
At GuideConnect, María is responsible for business development, operations, and customer engagement. She ensures that the platform reflects real industry needs, supports fair and transparent collaboration, and remains aligned with professional standards, sustainability goals, and regulatory requirements.
Ingimar Eyfjörð Smárason
Co-Founder & Technical Lead
Ingimar is a full-stack software engineer and product architect with a background in building scalable digital platforms across regulated and data-driven environments. He has extensive experience in system architecture, backend development, and modern web applications, with a strong focus on reliability, security, and long-term maintainability.
At GuideConnect, Ingimar is responsible for the technical vision and execution of the platform, ensuring that guides and travel companies are supported by a robust, intuitive, and future-proof system. His work bridges business needs and technical design, translating real-world operational challenges into practical digital solutions.
Ingimar Eyfjörð Smárason
Co-Founder & Technical Lead
Ingimar is a full-stack software engineer and product architect with a background in building scalable digital platforms across regulated and data-driven environments. He has extensive experience in system architecture, backend development, and modern web applications, with a strong focus on reliability, security, and long-term maintainability.
At GuideConnect, Ingimar is responsible for the technical vision and execution of the platform, ensuring that guides and travel companies are supported by a robust, intuitive, and future-proof system. His work bridges business needs and technical design, translating real-world operational challenges into practical digital solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to join us?
Whether you're a guide looking to grow your career or an agency seeking reliable staffing, we'd love to have you on board.