Mojácar Council has obtained a 18,019 euro subsidy offered by the Junta de Andalucía within the MUNITIC programme to promote the implementation of information and communication technologies in municipal tourism resources and facilities.
The Council Tourism Department will use this subsidy for the creation of an interactive augmented reality map without the need for a mobile app for Mojácar municipality. This application will contribute significantly to the management of the Mojácar tourist destination.
The creation of the augmented reality map will contribute to the diversification of the tourism offer as it adds value to new tourism resources of interest which will be added as places of interest. Heritage elements not made known up until now, such as history, heritage, landscape value, the old town’s past, its legends, etc., thanks to the use of videos, 360º or 3D photos, among others.
The interactive augmented reality map is itself a new resource which will attract visitors due to being a novel product which will offer a unique and enjoyable virtual experience. The incorporation of IT as a resource is on the rise, and is a highly valued resource. It will generate new opportunities for educational visits, thereby diversifying the municipal offer, targeting other markets and segments. It will contribute to the fight against seasonality.
A visit to Mojácar old town is a major attraction, not only for the municipality, but for the entire Levante region of Almería and for Almería province. Up until now, the distribution of the tourist information has been via maps on paper. The creation of an interactive augmented reality map for Mojácar municipality will be carried out with the aim of showing contents via technology accessible on mobile devices, using QR codes, audio guides, 360º photos, 3D developments, etc. This novel and virtual dissemination and information tool will contribute to saving on physical street maps printed on paper.
It will also mean a reduction in waiting times for the tourist information service; an offer of information for those who do not want to wait a long time in enclosed spaces as a preventative measure against Covid-19 and information without a time limit, as the office does not have to be open at the time of the consultation and the information will be improved as it will be offered in various languages.
The virtual interactive augmented reality map will, through the use of new technology, make it possible to accept very specific and complete information without having to be in the place and without having to resort to more leaflets. With the technological revolution, the tourism sector has at its disposal a large number of technological tools which it can use to both improve the efficiency of its internal processes and in its meetings with customers.
The possibility of not having to download an application allows users to quickly access information without needing a lot of applications on their mobiles which block the speed of the device, wasting time and data. The interactive augmented reality map without the need for a mobile application will allow people with reduced mobility to visit Mojácar’s old town virtually without having to travel.
Among its many advantages, as well as serving as a great help to the visitor, there is also the obtaining of the evaluation of results, as it is a technology accessible from mobile devices, measuring, among others, the number of downloads. The project will run for a minimum of 12 months, during which time it will provide important information on behaviour, profile and tourist flows and establish comparisons and summaries of the service used.
Mobile technology with access without an application gives the project greater versatility and dynamism when it comes to measuring the results of the service, since users will connect with the interactive map by means of a QR code, which will provide analytical and statistical results on the number of users, their origin, main channels, location of the devices in real time, the information consulted and the duration of the sessions, among other parameters.
In addition to improving management in terms of measuring promotion results and on measuring seasonality, it will contribute to making known the “purchase” intentions and interest of potential users. It will be a major help in managing and controlling the flow of people, mobility and possible saturation percentages of the urban area environments and hot spots.
