Tourism app aids spend, spend, spend

Published on 01/11/2012 01:12

The Scottish Government’s tourism body has designed “a machine that tracks where you are and knows what you like” to encourage people to spend as much money as possible.

VisitScotland’s new tourism app will be supported by one of the biggest broadband projects in Europe to ensure the “machine” can also track people to remote areas.

Chairman Mike Cantley revealed the thinking behind the app at Holyrood’s education, energy and tourism committee.

“VisitScotland.com is transforming into a digital media base that will travel with you, as long as it knows where you are,” he said.

“It needs connectivity to achieve that. The whole principle of visitscotland.com is that it will be a machine that tracks where you are, knows what you like and will be able to guide your journey and make sure, hopefully, that every visitor will spend as much as they possibly can.

“So, from that point of view it is pioneering. It does need good connectivity.”

However Highlands MSP Mike MacKenzie pointed out the Highland region does not have good 3G internet coverage, and is unlikely to see faster 4G coverage in the near future.