There's a new way to discover Venice, where the guidance comes from outer space. Planetaudioguide, in collaboration with the Venice Tourism Board (APT), is about to launch in Venice the first city GPS audio-guided tour in Europe.
The service combines the power of GPS with the flexibility of Mp3 players to empower tourists with the ability to independently discover cities at their own pace and leisure. Effectively applying the concept typical of museum audio guides on a citywide scale, GPS audioguides offer tourists a source of information that changes based on their position and unlike with a guidebook the information goes direct to the ear, leaving the eyes free to roam.
The GPS audioguides are distributed through the APT offices (Piazza San Marco e Piazzale Roma) for 15€ a day with discounts for VeniceCard holders. The audioguide comes with a complimentary map of the city and its audio contents are available in five languages (Italian, English, German, French and Spanish) for a total of 12h of commentaries accompanied by jazz music produced in collaboration with Venetian artists.
Once you have your audioguide all you have to do is switch it on and wait for the device to pick up the satellite signal, after that you are free to wander the streets and campos of the city letting the audioguide automatically select the most relevant information. In fact the GPS module automatically triggers relevant audio commentaries as soon as you near a place of interest. In addition the smart software activates curiosity tracks on Venice and its inhabitants as you relocate from one site to another.
The key to the preservation and development of cultural heritage is to educate the visitor. Therefore Planetaudioguide seeks to combine entertainment and learning whilst at the same time giving the city a source of income and a means to educate and control the tourist flow.
