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Tourism Boost for  North Tipperary  as Tourism Sites Go Digital

Over 220  North Tipperary  tourism products being promoted on new Sat Nav project

In a bid to make it easier for visitors to get accurate tourist information digitally, Shannon Development and North Tipperary County Council have today (Friday 22^nd May ’09) become one of the first state agency and local authority in  Ireland to use satellite navigation systems (Sat Nav) to map visitor attractions, activities and accommodation. In a unique partnership between the bodies, over 220 points of interest in the North Tipperary area have been made available to in-car satellite navigation systems.

Speaking at the launch about the reason for undertaking the project, John King, Assistant Chief Executive, Shannon Development said “As the tourist authority for the Shannon Region we recognised the promotional potential of having tourist info  rmation available on Sat Nav units. As the number of Sat Nav users has grown, so too has  the number of independenttravellers who want free, instant and accurate guidance and mapping  info  rmation on ‘where to go’ and ‘what to see and do’ in the area they are visiting. The aim of the project was to address the deficit of  info  rmation on Sat Nav units in rural  Ireland  .

Working with our partners North Tipperary Co. Council through our Shannon Broadband Company, we decided to explore ways of using cutting edge technology to promote our range of tourism products. As part of our work around broadband development, we have already completed a €18.5 million project laying fibre optic cable to make broadband connectivity a reality in eight Shannon Region towns and in  Limerick  City  . This latest project is a continuation of our aim to embrace new technology to help us promote the  Shannon  region.”

This is the first time that state bodies have come together to utilise pioneering new technologies to promote tourism.   North Tipperary was chosen as it is home to strategically important tourism assets such as Lough Derg and the River Shannon, the Slieve Felim region and historic towns such as Ballina and Roscrea.  Tipperary has a strong reputation with visitors as a touring and activity based county. This initiative will enhance the tourist experience by allowing them to see a range of accommodation and attractions within any chosen area. It has a superb network of tourism activities including walking trails in Slieve Felims, Lough Derg, and the newly launched North Tipperary cycling hub.

Geographical co-ordinates were collected for each of the 220 points of interest.  These points consisted of accommodation providers, activity providers, places of attractions and emergency services.  The final output of the project will be integrated with Navteq maps, the current mapping providers for Garmin, a market leader in satellite navigation systems. 

This database of the North Tipperary locations is now available in a number of formats.  Once the file has been downloaded to a Sat Nav unit, the user can select for example a North Tipperary visitor attraction they want to find and the unit will navigate them to the destination and show them other visitor attractions in their search area. It can be also be viewed on geospatial platforms such as Google Earth and Google maps.  For those wishing to download the points of interest for North Tipperary to their Sat Nav they are available at the following locations:

http://www.shortbreaksireland.ie    http://www.shannondevelopment.ie/Tourism/ 

http://www.shannonbroadband.com     http://www.tipperarynorth.ie

Commenting on the initiative Terry O’Niadh,  County  Manager  , North Tipperary County Council said “This new digital mapping system will make it easier for visitors to find their way around  North Tipperary  . This type of technology allows us to provide more detailed and up-to-date  info  rmation on tourism products in  North Tipperary  .  In particular the list of hotel, b/b and guesthouse accommodation which is now available will entice more overnight stays in the area and lead to a range of spin-off benefits for tourism businesses and the service sector in the area”.    

Shannon Development and Tipperary County Council stressed that it is an ongoing project and tourist providers in the area are being encouraged to contact Teresa Nash   Shannon Development (Tel:    061-503058    ) email: nasht@shannondevelopment.ie

If they wish to have details of their attractions, accommodation or activities uploaded to this North Tipperary database.

Shannon Development is also involved in other technology programmes to promote tourism. The use of digital technology forms part of the Shannon Region Trails Programme, launched in 2007 by Shannon Development to develop and promote a series of world class cycling, walking, and water (canoeing and surfing) tails throughout the Shannon Region. As part of this programme some of the physical trails have been digitally mapped using Sat Nav devices to ensure maximum usability and accessibility of the trails, to the public.  The public can access the trails digitally from various websites and download the trails to their GPS units prior to visiting the trails.  This is of particular interest to people who participate in outdoor sports such as hill walking and mountain biking.

 “The transition of the  Shannon  region walking trails from physical trails to online geospatial mapping platforms is an example of how  Shannon  Development is taking the extra steps to bring products to the public in new an innovative ways. This project is part of  Shannon  Development’s strategic approach to the use of new technology to promote tourism,” says John King, Shannon Development.