The Municipality of Genoa is implementing a truly astounding touristic package within the framework of BETTER Phase 2 in order to provide high quality e-services in the field.
Revamping the «visit Genoa» website consists of two main activities. The design and development of the web portal itself is still ongoing – a mock-up of the system is available, with the final version being released by the end of July. The other aspect of the website development was the installation of totems at 4 places in the city in February (serving as a physical and virtual guide for tourists) – their software is based on one that was already installed in Genoa during the Mobimart project.
The city is also in the development phase of an AR (Augmented Reality) APP. The app accompanies the user through the streets of Genoa – on the camera of the mobile phone an overlay of arrows indicate the chosen path and Points of Interest (POIs) nearby while also displaying the real surroundings. Approaching a POI also activates an alert (sound or vibration) as a note that the user can ask for more information about what they are seeing – they can either bookmark it for later, or listen to it immediately, collecting virtual currency (“Green Coin”) as a reward. Creating 360° multimedia content about local monuments and churches is still a plan in progress – it will allow users to enjoy an immersive experience of Genoa even from home.
Another interesting feature of the app is a Digital Marketplace, a 3D market which will go live by the end of July as well – a beta version is already available since May, however, showing local products that can be bought and recipes connected to them.
These innovative digital instruments are beneficial not just to their users, but also to the supporting businesses – they can become a reference point for the community, offering high-quality organic products and promoting sustainable purchasing habits – and sustainable mobility.
