Davao City tourists can now use their mobile phones as a handy travel tool when touring Mindanao’s highly urbanized metropolitan city.
The new Davao Guide, which was launched in celebration of the 80th Araw ng Davao, is now available for free download from the Google Play Store and soon, from the Apple App Store. The mobile application was created by InnoPub Media in partnership with the Davao City government and wireless leader Smart Communications (Smart).
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“This project is consistent with two of the City Government’s priority sectors which are tourism and education. We are happy that Smart and InnoPub are helping us create a digital platform to push tourism and education not only to the Davaoeños but to also to the local and international tourists. Through the Davao Guide app, the public would know about the people of Davao, our history, culture and what the city can offer in terms of tourism and investment,” said Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
“We are happy to partner with the Davao local government in promoting tourism using digital technologies especially with the rapidly increasing number of smartphones in the country.” said Ramon R. Isberto, Public Affairs group head at Smart. “This launch comes at an opportune time as we have already transformed our network in Davao, providing residents with high-speed mobile access to digital services and information via LTE.”
The Davao Guide provides relevant information on the City’s top attractions such as heritage sites, nature parks and gardens and other popular destinations. Davao City tourist spots are listed according to popularity and include important details like contact numbers and location information.
A section on the top city hotels as rated by locals and tourists makes it easier to find the best accommodations in Davao. The app also comes with a directory of tour guides licensed by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in the Davao Region. The guide also features an updates section that will publish tips and the latest developments on the gateway to the south.
As a special feature of the digital tourism experience, newly-installed site markers containing QR or quick response codes and NFC (near-field communications) stickers have been deployed in select areas within the city. The markers trigger the download of tourism and historical information via phone scanning or tapping.
Digital Tourism is a nationwide program that harnesses mobile technology to deliver tourism, cultural and historical information. It was piloted by Smart and InnoPub in Cebu in 2012, and has been rolled out in key destinations of the country. /pr
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