Cebu taps technology for tourism

MANILA, Philippines - The province of Cebu is tapping technology to deliver tourism and historical information through the use of mobile devices.

The Digital Tourism in Cebu Province project, a partnership between the public and private sectors involves the production of mobile apps and e-books to serve as tourism guides to Cebu province and its key tourism areas.

The local government of Cebu teamed up with Smart Communications Inc. and Cebu-based new media startup InnoPub Media for the innovative project.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III said tourism is a key industry and an effective trigger to economic development.

“The partnership we have forged with InnoPub Media with the support of Smart is one big step towards this direction,” he said.

The project is now in Iloilo and Baguio. The partners are working to expand it in other key locations in the country.

In Cebu, the project has been implemented in the towns of Argao and Boljoon and in the city of Carcar. It is currently being deployed in the BOSS tourism circuit of Boljoon, Oslob, Samboan and Santander. Smart and InnoPub Media will expand the program to other areas of the province.

The project includes the deployment of interactive tourism markers that use quick response (QR) codes and near field communication (NFC) chips to trigger the download of information about tourism or historical sites or structures.

Smart senior manager for public affairs for Visayas and Mindanao Maria Jane Paredes said wireless and digital technologies for tourism play a role in fostering pride of place and in helping spur local economies.

“Cebu province is a good model on private and public partnership collaborations towards this end,” Paredes added.

The partners also announced the availability of Cebu Guide for download from the Google Play Store or access via mobile web at http://cebu.myguide.ph for other mobile platforms.

The app is a comprehensive guide to Cebu for tourists and visitors, with sub-sections on where to go, what to do, where to stay and where to eat. It also includes articles on heritage sites and key historical churches in the province.

The app also contains a portable directory of important contact numbers of consulates, emergency facilities like hospitals and police and the complete list of Department of Tourism (DOT) accredited service providers such as tour guides and establishments like tour operators and transport services in Cebu.

“The app will be offered for free download to tourists. It will also be offered as guide to delegates of next year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit meetings in Cebu,” Paredes added.