A tourism industry failure led to Geotourist. Shaon Talukder is the founder and now CEO of Geotourist. Travelling in Australia he had planned to join a scheduled tour of Ayers Rock. The guide didn’t arrive. Shaon asked himself where was the audio tour app which would enable him to take a guided tour in his own time and at his own pace. The idea for Geotourist had arrived.
Geotourist helps destinations and cultural organisations tell their stories through audio tours around the world, partnering with organisations that are experts in their fields to curate stories in travel, history, heritage, architecture, arts and entertainment.
Geotourist is a flexible tool, you could go online now and tour Banksy’s Bristol with photos and audio or follow the trail in the city on your mobile phone and hear the audio guide. In Edinburgh there is overtourism on the Royal Mile, so Historic Environment Scotland, has used Geotourist to encourage people away from the honeypot to explore Holyrood Park. Haddington Community Development Trust has developed a local history trail through the town. There is a Hidden Highlights of Venice Tour, a tour of the Bridge Houses of Amsterdam , an Historical Foodie Tour of Florence and a Social Enterprise Tour in Edinburgh.
This is a platform which can enable you to provide interpretation, disperse visitors away from honeypots, bring tourists to unknown places, celebrate local history and culture, wildlife and landscapes, and discover the studios of artists and artisan workshops. The only limits are your time and imagination.
I interviewed Mo Talukder this week about Geotourist and got excited about how we could use the app in Faversham to create a virtual arboretum.
Learn about the app here
