This app, simply called “Welcome to Scotland” (http://www.welcometoscotland.com/mobile-download) is a travel guide that includes tourism key options like accommodations searching and booking, interactive maps (covering the whole of Scotland), GPS, augmented reality (which means that people can easily identify castles, monuments or even parts of landscapes) and it also comprehends events happening in Scottish cities.
A complete tool
for tourists going to Scotland as it provides all the information they need
during their tour.
All it requires is
an iPhone (at the moment!) and £2.99 (purchasing price of the app).
The question is: Is it
worth paying for “Welcome to Scotland” app when we can get free paper versions
of travel guides in Scottish tourist points?
If free travel
guides are available in “VisitScotland” information centers, many won’t see the
necessity to pay for an app that offers similar information;
What makes
the difference between the paper version and this app?
-
The services
The interface of
the app features services that the paper version can’t provide, like augmented
reality or GPS.
-
The price
For VisitScotland,
paper versions are expensive, as they need to be written and then printed,
moreover from an environmental point of view, it isn’t eco-friendly.
A mobile version
of a travel guide is also costly as it requires its development, but once it’s
made, the only things that have to be done are updates and they are spread
quickly to mobiles using the app, which means there is no need to be in
Scotland to get a travel guide updated and visitors can prepare their
“up-to-date” trip from their home country.
For the tourists,
paying for an app can be a barrier but usually apps cost little money.
In this case, it’s
£2.99 and since visitors can get special offers and discounts from Scottish
tourism professionals through “Welcome to Scotland” app, their “investment” can
be quickly refunded as they will save money on visits, activities or
accommodations.
-
“Welcome to Scotland” app is
handy
A mobile version
of guidebooks is more intuitive and pleasant to use as people are getting more
and more keen on Smartphones and especially on iPhone. Also, there is no need
to carry paper versions as everything is included in the app, it stands in the
pocket!
Moreover, as the
content and map are preloaded, tourists can access the information wherever
they are:
No need of the Internet!
No need of mobile
network!
And no roaming charges for foreigners!
The only
disadvantage can be the lack of battery; you need to make sure your phone is
charged.
In other words,
this app offering unusual features represents a new handy tool to visit Scotland and a big step forward for the country in terms of mobile tourism.
Key words: mobile
tourism, app, augmented reality, must-have tool.
Resource: http://travelllll.com/2011/12/05/scottish-tourism-launches-augmented-reality-mobile-app-for-visitors/
Posted by Jennifer Barbier & William David
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