Skip to main content

Iloilo Digital Tourism launched in Santa Barbara, Iloilo

Santa Barbara, a historical town in Iloilo where the flag of fledgling Philippine Republic was raised in 1898 to signal the start of the revolution against the Spaniards in the Visayas and Mindanao, will celebrate its heritage this Independence Day with digital tourism—a project of Cebu-based new media start-up Innopub Media and wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart).
The Digital Tourism project aims to enhance the tourists’ experience through Internet and mobile technologies. It involves the creation and installation of interactive markers containing Quick Response (QR) codes and Near Field Communication (NFC) stickers which, when scanned or tapped via a mobile phone, direct users to a website containing more information about the site or structure, including photos and videos. 
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. and Mayor Dennis Superficial (4th and from left respectively)
led the unveiling of the Iloilo Digital Tourism markers during the 116th Philippine Independence Day rites.
“The launch perfectly coincides with the celebration of the Independence day,” said Smart Public Affairs Group Head Ramon Isberto. “With digital tourism, we are able to help preserve our history and culture by providing digital content, which can easily be accessed and updated, being stored in the cloud.  So when tourists visit a historical landmark, they have better appreciation of its place in Philippine history.”
Nick Bautista Wilwayco of Smart Communications delivers a message of appreciation
in behalf of the telecommunications giant.
During the launch, six historical sites in Santa Barbara will be tagged with interactive markers. These are the Santa Barbara Parish Church, Flagpole Park, Iloilo Golf and Country Club, Gen. Martin T. Delgado Monument, Santa Barbara Centennial Museum, and Victory Plaza
Mayor Dennis Superficial together with Smart's Nick Wilwayco and Max Limpag of Inno Pub
The Digital Tourism project, which recently won an Anvil award of merit, was launched in Cebu City in 2012. The year after, it was launched in Iloilo City. Early this year, it was rolled out in Baguio City and in the municipalities of Argao and Boljoon in Cebu. In the coming years, Smart and InnoPub are set to bring the initiative in many more provinces in the country. 
Press conference on the Iloilo Digital Tourism launch in Santa Barbara
“We're excited to work with Santa Barbara in Iloilo on Digital Tourism. The project harnesses technology to enhance tourism – two things the Philippines is known for. It uses mobile technology to deliver tourism, cultural and historical information to people through devices that we carry around with us wherever we go: Phones and tablets,” said InnoPub co-founder Max Limpag.
Mayor Superficial tests the Santa Barbara Guide mobile app
Aside from tagging historical and tourist spots, Smart and InnoPub will also release the Santa Barbara Guide mobile app on June 12. Articles on must-try food and must-visit places in Santa Barbara, the town’s history, as well as the accredited tour operators are listed in this guide.
Iloilo Digital Tourism utilizes QR Codes and NFC markers to link mobiles users to the web.
The app also has a "tap to call" feature allowing users to call phone numbers in the app with just a click. It has a directory of important contact numbers of hospitals, emergency units, and police stations. Furthermore, the app provides location data. Some places featured in the guide are GPS-tagged with a "check location" link. With a single tap, the app will suggest routes and directions to the desired destinations via the GPS guide system of the users' devices. 
The Santa Barbara Guide can be downloaded at Google Play Store for free. It can also be accessed via http://santabarbara.myguide.ph.

Popular posts from this blog

Travelers guide to Iloilo transport terminals (Airport, Jeepneys, Buses, RORO. etc)

Being the biggest city on Panay Island and the center of Western Visayas region, Iloilo City is a transportation hub whether by land, sea or air. These numerous transportation terminals facilitate day to day commerce, light & heavy industries, and tourism, among others. As this is a travel blog, this guide is aimed to tourists who want to experience and explore Iloilo and perhaps even beyond. Iloilo International Airport A little more than five years old, the Iloilo International Airpor t is among the most modern and beautiful in the country today. It is situated around 20 kilometers from Iloilo City , straddling the towns of Cabatuan, San Miguel and Sta. Barbara . It has direct links to Manila, Cebu, Clark, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro  and Puerto Princesa plus international destinations Hong Kong and Singapore . Among the first hurdles tourists will have to contend is the distance that translates to expensive fare when traveling to and from this airp...

Connie Carillo Diversified Farm in Bingawan: Helping Sustaining a Healthy Community Through Farm Schools

The area around the town of Bingawan, the edge of the central portion of the province is where it ends and the town of Tapaz, Capiz province begins and is very much another unsung corner of Iloilo with warm, friendly, welcoming people. Bingawan has some rich farming land and farming is at the heart of its village life. The landscapes are gorgeous here; with gentle pastures, to the high mountains. The area offers some beautiful hikes and bike trails across its lovely rolling meadows, woodland and a few working farms. The town would be less touristic than its neighboring towns but is well worth exploring. If you are concerned about how organic can contribute to benefit our shared environment, promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved, then a trip to Connie Carillo Diversified Farm is for you. With the governments’ efforts to improve the knowledge and technical skills of the farmers, the Connie Carillo Diversified Fa...

St. Joseph Chapel at Festive Walk Iloilo's The Deck

While most malls around the country host Sunday masses in some obscure hallway filled with plastic chairs with a makeshift altar, some malls have built niches or transformed unused spaces into places of worship. And Ilonggos should be proud that one of the newest malls in Iloilo City has actually a chapel located in a prime spot and one that boasts both beauty and serenity.  The St. Joseph Chapel at Festive Walk Iloilo is located in one of its al fresco areas known as The Deck located  at the 3rd level. While this open air area also has a mini plaza and dog park (and soon - cafes and restaurants) it is the chapel that highlights this al fresco part of the mall. Eucharistic mass services are held every Sunday at 11am while first Friday masses at 5pm.  It is open to the public everyday for personal moments of silence and solitude. The Deck and everything in it is open from 10am to 10pm with the entrance located betwee...