100 Countries Later, I Realized Tourism Was Broken
The Moment Everything Changed: A Founder's Journey from Tourist to Innovator
Standing in Hegra, Surrounded by Beauty and Ignorance
It was my 87th country. Early morning at Hegra (Mada'in Saleh) in Saudi Arabia's AlUla region—Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to over 110 monumental Nabataean tombs carved directly into sandstone cliffs. I was surrounded by dozens of tourists, all doing the same thing: taking photos, checking them, taking more photos, moving to the next spot. The stunning views and natural beauty of the site were undeniable, yet something was missing.
I started asking people simple questions:
"Do you know who the Nabataeans were?" Blank stares.
"Why did they carve these tombs into solid rock?" Shrugs.
"What's the connection between this site and Petra in Jordan?" Silence.
"Why is this called the 'second Petra' when it predates many of Petra's structures?" More silence.
These weren't ignorant people. They were educated, curious travelers who had spent thousands of dollars and traveled thousands of miles to be there. Many had likely navigated the process of obtaining a saudi e-visa or visa on arrival to experience this marvel. Yet they understood virtually nothing about what they were experiencing.
That's when I realized: tourism was fundamentally broken.
My Name Is Lars Friedrich, and I've Spent 15 Years Building Ventures
Before I tell you how Origin of Wonder came to exist, let me take you back to where it all started.
I've spent over 15 years in venture building and tech entrepreneurship. I've built companies, failed at some, succeeded at others, and learned that the best businesses solve real problems people actually have—not problems you think they should have.
But my other passion has always been travel. Not the resort kind. Not the cruise ship kind. The kind where you show up in a place with genuine curiosity about why it exists and what makes it special.
By my late thirties, I'd visited over 100 countries across six continents. From the Galápagos Islands to the ancient cities of Uzbekistan. From Iceland's volcanic landscapes to the temples of Kyoto. From Patagonia to the Serengeti. Each destination offered its own unique combination of cultural experiences and natural wonders.
The Pattern I Couldn't Unsee
Somewhere around country 50, I started noticing a disturbing pattern:
Everywhere I went, tourists were everywhere—but understanding was nowhere.
At Machu Picchu, people complained about the crowds but couldn't explain why the Incas built a citadel at 8,000 feet or how they achieved earthquake-resistant construction without mortar.
At Hegra in Saudi Arabia, visitors photographed the stunning Qasr al-Farid (the "Lonely Castle")—the largest tomb facade in the site—without understanding that the Nabataeans carved it from a single piece of sandstone or why it was left unfinished. The spectacular views of the surrounding rocky terrain and deep valleys were appreciated, but the historical significance was lost.
In Yellowstone, tourists photographed Old Faithful without understanding the supervolcano beneath their feet or why hot springs are among Earth's most important ecosystems. The park's diverse flora and fauna, including unique plant communities and numerous bird species, were often overlooked.
Beautiful photos. Empty experiences.
And it wasn't just individual tourists. Entire tourism systems seemed designed to facilitate superficial consumption rather than genuine understanding.
The "Aha" Moment: Tourism Needs a Why
The breakthrough came in AlUla, Saudi Arabia—the ancient oasis town that serves as the gateway to Hegra.
I was having coffee with a local guide named Abdullah who had been taking tourists through the Nabataean tombs for 8 years. I asked him what he wished tourists knew before they arrived.
His answer changed everything:
"I wish they understood why it matters. I spend two hours with them, but they're distracted by the heat, worried about photos, overwhelmed by the scale. By the time they're ready to listen, we're leaving. If they arrived already understanding the significance—the ancient trade routes, the Nabataean engineering genius, the connection between Hegra and Petra—my job would be guiding their discovery, not lecturing to exhausted people who can't absorb information."
That night, I couldn't sleep. A question kept circling:
What if we could transform tourists into informed advocates before they even arrived?
Not with boring pamphlets. Not with audio guides people ignore. But with experiences so compelling, so immersive, that understanding becomes inevitable.
From Idea to Obsession: 18 Months of Research
I'm a builder, not a dreamer. Good ideas are worthless without execution. So I spent the next 18 months researching:
The Problem Validation
I interviewed:
200+ tourists at major destinations about their experiences
50+ destination managers about their biggest challenges
30+ local guides about what visitors miss
Conservation experts about tourism's impact
Cultural guardians about narrative preservation
The data was overwhelming. According to research on traveler preferences, 61% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers prioritize travel plans focused on personal wellness and well-being experiences, yet fewer than 10% receive them.
Meanwhile, destinations were desperate for solutions to overtourism, visitor education, and sustainable revenue—but had no effective tools.
The problem was validated. Massive. Universal. Urgent.
The Technology Assessment
I researched immersive technologies:
Planetariums and fulldome theaters
VR and AR applications
Interactive museums and exhibits
Educational media and documentaries
The breakthrough realization: fulldome immersive theaters combined with 8K projection had reached a tipping point. The technology was mature, costs were dropping (AI was slashing production expenses by approximately 50%), and mobile deployment was newly viable.
For the first time, we could create cinema-quality immersive experiences that were:
Financially scalable
Rapidly deployable
Emotionally transformative
Revenue-generating
The Business Model Innovation
This is where my venture building experience proved crucial. I didn't want to create another museum exhibit or tourist attraction. I wanted to build a platform company—one that could scale globally and create value for multiple stakeholders.
The model emerged:
B2C: Ticket sales at destination gateways
B2B: License content to 4,000+ planetariums globally
B2G: Partner with destination management organizations
B2E: Educational distribution to schools and universities
One immersive film, four revenue streams, infinite impact.
Building the Team: Finding True Believers
You can't build something transformative alone. I needed people who understood both the vision and the execution complexity.
The Production Partners
I connected with a storytelling team that had spent 30+ years creating immersive experiences for museums, planetariums, and cultural institutions. They understood:
How to compress centuries into minutes without oversimplifying
The psychology of immersive storytelling
Working with cultural stakeholders to ensure authenticity
Balancing education with entertainment
These weren't corporate vendors—they were craftspeople obsessed with quality.
The Technology Partners
I partnered with industry leaders in geodesic dome technology and projection systems. Companies that had solved the mobility problem—creating structures that could be deployed in weeks, not months, and relocated as needed.
This wasn't about building permanent venues. It was about creating a scalable platform that could reach travelers where they already were: airports, cruise terminals, train stations, gateway towns.
The Cultural Advisors
Perhaps most critically, I assembled a network of cultural advisors, historians, and indigenous community representatives.
Origin of Wonder would never be just another Western company extracting stories from destinations. We would work with local communities to tell authentic narratives—sharing ownership, credit, and revenue.
This wasn't altruism. It was essential. The best stories come from those who live them.
The First Prototype IN AlUla, Saudi Arabia, BUT …
We are ready to prove the concept. Where better than the place where the idea crystallized?
We wish to connect with Saudi Arabia's tourism authorities to create the first Destination Portal in AlUla—the gateway to Hegra, their magnificent Nabataean archaeological site.
The Content Challenge
Creating 20 minutes of content that would transform understanding meant solving three problems:
Historical Accuracy: Working with archaeologists and Nabataean scholars to ensure every claim was defensible
Emotional Resonance: Telling the story in a way that created genuine wonder, not just conveyed facts
Behavioral Impact: Designing content that would change how visitors interacted with the actual site
We need to spent six months in production. The result could be named like "Hegra: Echoes of Stone"—an 8K immersive journey through 2,000 years of history, showcasing the breathtaking scenery and historical heritage of the region.
The Moment of Truth
Imagine, opening day arrive. We stay at the back of the dome theater as the first paying visitors entered—a mix of international tourists and Saudi families.
Twenty minutes later, they emerged. And they were transformed.
People who had planned to spend "maybe an hour" at Hegra stayed for four hours. They sought out lesser-known tombs mentioned in the film. They asked guides sophisticated questions about Nabataean water management and trade networks.
Most tellingly: they treated the site with reverence.
No climbing on restricted areas. No littering. No loud conversations in sacred spaces. They had been educated into advocacy.
The Metrics That Proved It Worked
Over the next six months, we need to track everything:
Visitor Behavior:
35% reduction in rule violations at Hegra
2.5x longer average dwell time at the site
4.7/5 satisfaction rating (vs. 3.9/5 for visitors who skipped the portal)
Economic Impact:
Visitors who experienced the portal spent 40% more in the local economy
65% purchased additional experiences (guided tours, local crafts)
82% said they'd recommend AlUla to friends (vs. 58% without portal)
Conservation Outcomes:
91% reported "completely changed" understanding of site significance
76% joined online groups supporting Nabataean heritage preservation
Donations to local conservation increased 220%
Revenue Generation:
B2C ticket sales exceeded projections by 40%
Content licensed to 15 international planetariums in year one
Documentary version commissioned by streaming platforms
The model worked. Spectacularly.
From Proof of Concept to Global Platform
Success in AlUla opened doors everywhere. Destination managers from Peru to Greece to Iceland start calling. The question isn't "Does this work?" anymore. It was "When can you come here?"
Future Outlook, Origin of Wonder is building the infrastructure for a new era of tourism:
6,500+ national parks worldwide that could benefit from immersive education
1,223+ UNESCO Heritage Sites seeking sustainable tourism solutions
300+ major cities wanting to distribute crowds and tell authentic stories
The addressable market is vast. The need is urgent. The technology is ready.
The Mission: Transforming Global Tourism
But this was never just about building a successful business. It was about solving a problem I'd witnessed firsthand across 100+ countries.
Tourism is broken. Visitors extract experiences without understanding. Destinations endure damage without compensation. Local communities bear costs without benefits.
Origin of Wonder exists to transform this equation:
We turn tourists into advocates.
We turn sightseeing into storytelling.
We turn extraction into education.
The Personal Cost of Mission-Driven Building
I won't lie: building Origin of Wonder has been the hardest thing I've done.
Three years of 80-hour weeks. Countless flights between continents. Negotiations in languages I barely speak. Technical problems that kept me awake at night. Financial pressure. Self-doubt.
There were moments I questioned everything. Moments when staying in comfortable tech ventures seemed infinitely more appealing than revolutionizing tourism education.
But then I'd remember:
Standing at Hegra, watching tourists photograph tombs they couldn't explain.
Listening to Abdullah's frustration about educating the unwilling.
Seeing the transformation on visitors' faces as they emerged from that first portal.
This isn't just a business. It's a responsibility.
What Comes Next: The 2030 Vision
By 2030, I envision a world where every major destination has an Origin of Wonder portal.
Where tourists don't arrive ignorant and leave unchanged.
Where destinations have tools to educate, manage crowds, and generate sustainable revenue.
Where local communities benefit from tourism that respects and celebrates their heritage.
Where the question "You've seen it, but have you understood it?" becomes obsolete—because understanding precedes experience.
This isn't fantasy. With current growth rates and the partnerships we're forming, this is achievable.
The global sustainable tourism market was valued at USD 3.23 trillion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 11.53 trillion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 15.2%. This explosive growth must be coupled with innovation that makes tourism sustainable, meaningful, and transformative.
An Invitation: Join the Transformation
If you're reading this, you're part of the solution:
If you're a traveler: Demand better. Seek destinations offering immersive education. Be the advocate the world needs.
If you're a destination manager: The competitive advantage is enormous. Early adopters will lead. Contact us to explore partnership.
If you're an investor: The experiential travel market is exploding, and we're building scalable infrastructure at the intersection of education, entertainment, and impact.
If you're a cultural guardian: We want to work with you. Your stories deserve to be told authentically, with your community benefiting directly.
The Question That Started Everything
Standing at Hegra in Saudi Arabia, I asked myself a question that wouldn't let go:
"What if we could transform tourists into advocates before they even arrived?"
Three years later, we're not just asking the question. We're building the answer.
And we're just getting started.
The future of tourism isn't about seeing more places. It's about understanding them deeply.
Welcome to the Origin of Wonder.
Ready to Transform Your Destination Experience?
Whether you're a traveler seeking meaningful journeys, a destination manager solving overtourism challenges, or an investor interested in scalable impact ventures, Origin of Wonder offers proven solutions.
Three Ways to Get Started:
1. Initial Consultation
Schedule a call to discuss your destination's unique challenges, visitor demographics, and tourism goals. We'll explore how immersive education can address your specific needs.
2. Strategy Workshop
Participate in a collaborative workshop where we analyze your destination's storytelling potential, site options, and partnership opportunities. Walk away with actionable insights.
3. Customized Blueprint
Receive a tailored implementation plan with timeline, investment requirements, and projected outcomes specific to your destination.
Contact Origin of Wonder
📧 Email: info@originofwonder.com
📱 WhatsApp: +49 160 90819576
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now. The same is true for transforming tourism.
Further Reading & Resources
Learn More About Our Featured Destinations:
Industry Research & Trends:
Conservation & Sustainable Tourism:
"Tourism that educates, inspires, and transforms—one immersive portal at a time."
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100 Countries Later, I Realized Tourism Was Broken
Oct 17, 2025
