One of Northern Ireland’s most innovative new businesses has teamed up with Pubs of Ulster in an effort to promote the hospitality trade in the run up to Christmas.
My Tour Talk which is endorsed by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board is set to roll out its new app technology to provide users with insider information on up to 20 Belfast-based pubs and up to 50 additional bars in the free listing directory. Pubs of Ulster, the representative body of the pub trade in Northern Ireland, is backing the product as it has the potential to bring a welcome boost to hospitality businesses during the festive period.
Available on both iPhone and Android devices the app allows the user to listen to helpful ‘local’ information on each pub in the tour such as its speciality drink, best times to visit as well as the more traditional information about the history of the venue. It should prove attractive to tourists visiting the city because once downloaded they will not incur additional roaming charges by continuously dipping in and out and the GPS mapping system will recognise where the user is in the city and direct them to the nearest pub on the tour.
My Tour Talk is already proving a hit in industry circles since being established18 months ago by winning a competition funded by NITB and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, and being shortlisted for the Travel and Tourism App of the Year2011 and more recently being the Northern Irish winner of the IntertradeIreland Seedcorn competition.
Jamie Hanna of My Tour Talk said, “The Belfast Pub Tour is one of a range of apps we have developed in the past year. We are confident in the overall user experience as we carried out extensive research with bar owners to ensure the content is interesting and professional local actors keep the quality of the audio at a high standard. We are delighted with the recognition the apps are receiving and look forward to building on this partnership with Pubs of Ulster together with our endorsement from NITB further cements our position in the local tourism industry.”
Chief Executive Colin Neill said, “The local pub trade has become an increasingly important part of our local tourist offering, with visiting a pub rated by tourists as the most popular activity when taking a break in Northern Ireland. It is clear that pubs play a vital role in the overall visitor experience and any initiative that helps boost this is greatly welcomed by the pub industry. The Belfast Pub Tour apps are a unique and innovative way of doing this and have the potential to increase customer footfall in pubs in Belfast during what will hopefully be a busy Christmas trading period. We look forward to working further with My Tour Talk and exploring more innovative opportunities for pubs across Northern Ireland.”
The Belfast Pub Tour App is available on iTunes or by visiting www.mytourtalk.com. Watch the video…