Tourism Australia launches ‘world first’ app
Tourism Australian has created what it claims is a world first app, ‘Discover Australia Through Your Friends’ which merges Google Maps and Facebook.
Users can enter a planned destination and see which friends have been there.
The app shows comments, photos and check ins on a map which pins activity to the place it occurred.
It is intended to help people research and plan holiday destinations in Australia, based on research which showed people were influenced by their friends on social networks when choosing where to visit.
Tourism Australia conducted a survey of over 1,000 Australian Facebook users which found 73% check social media networks of their holidaying friends.
The app has some similarities to social media driven travel booking site Hooroo, launched by Qantas earlier this month with the backing of Tourism Australia.
Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy said in a press release: “We know from research that more and more travellers are turning to their social media networks for inspiration to help them plan and get the best out of their holidays. Tourism Australia has been a global leader in the digital space for over a decade and this innovative social media tool will make word of mouth from your trusted network of Facebook friends even more powerful.”
The app was developed by digital agency Pixolut in collaboration with Facebook and TA.
Brilliant idea. It’s like a giant brag book. We all know how competitive Gen Ys are. They will all be trying to out do each other.
User ID not verified.
seems similar to “Flock” App http://itunes.apple.com/us/app.....21080?mt=8
User ID not verified.
There’s a typo in the app. It should say ‘less than an hour ago’ but says ‘less then an hour ago’
User ID not verified.
Something’s not right here. It says “BETA 3” on the splash page. And doesn’t actually seem to load my friends when I click on them.
Rushed out?
User ID not verified.
@helpful hint Thanks mate, just fixed it now
@JW We have a number of minor updates planned in the coming days, so the app is still in the ‘beta stage’ (isn’t everything in social?!). But fair point. We just removed the ‘BETA 3’ as it jargon and probably only made sense to us anyway! We recognise that we’ve had a few minor teething issues, as is often the case with new technology, but so far the app has been really well received from those trying it out.
We’re trying to break new ground with this app – and you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. We’ve made several minor tweaks during pre-launch and we’ll continue to do so along the way, so your feedback is much appreciated.
If we can assist with any other specific issues we’re happy to help
Jesse
@TourismAus
User ID not verified.
Nice work Jesse, congrats on a great app.
User ID not verified.