Cape Town - In the wake of Tourism Month this September, Cape Point has a launched a free audio tour application that is expected to enhance visitors' experiences.
The voice app will be available to the public from Thursday and to those who are planning to visit the tourist attraction site during SANParks week - where visitors enter free from September 12-17.
Judiet Barnes, marketing manager at Cape Point, said the audio tour was a fun, information-rich and easy-to-use way of enhancing the experience. “Simply download the tour, plug in your earphones and push play.
“Cape Point is a heritage sight so we are limited in the amounts of signage we can put up. The audio tour will be our way of narrating factual stories about Cape Point.”
Barnes said although many tourists came in troops with a tour guide, some preferred roaming around alone like locals do.
“People often want to deflect from groups and take in the surroundings at their own pace, and the audio tour will fill that gap as well as enhance the self-drive tourist experience,” said Barnes.
On Wednesday the Cape Argus tested the audio tour. The way it works is you need to download a voice maps app. Once you have the app installed, you can download the Cape Point Tour. The tour basically guides you along the funicular to the various historical points in Cape Point and gives you some interesting stories about those points.
Barnes said: “This in no way ends the role of tour guides. We realise the importance of guides. Guides bring big groups of people, plus they have their own way of telling the Cape Point stories. We value guides and think this tool will also come in handy for them.”
The audio app has a recording of 12 stories of the epic moments in history of the site.
The story telling begins from the main parking area, the audio tour shares fascinating information about the national park’s maritime history, fauna, flora, Cape Point legends and the funicular.
Ian Manley, who helped with the creation of the app, said they had been working tirelessly on the app since April.
“We had to go through a lot of channels to get this ready.
“We wanted to showcase great methodology around the heritage site. We had to fit the narrative and geographical spaces together,” Manley said.
Siya Mahamba, who took part in the audio tour said: “It’s my first time visiting here. I found the place interesting, but what made it so much more fun was that the audio tour helped me walk at my own pace.
“I could stop at whichever point I wanted to and take in the scenery. And pause and play the app as I pleased. It kept up with me instead of the other way round. I loved it.”
Cape Argus