The free North East England Pocket Guide app will help visitors and locals alike explore the region’s iconic landmarks, landscapes and local history
Tourists are invited to discover the region like never before as the free North East England Pocket Guide app launches, with Sunderland-based broadcaster Jonny Chambers lending his voice to the app’s audio guide.
With curated interactive maps of the region’s top tourism spots and audio that tells the area’s centuries-old story, the app is intended to help visitors discover more of North East England’s treasures.
Destination marketing agency Experience North East England has developed the app in
partnership with international tourism tech provider Vox alongside Local Visitor Economy Partnerships Visit NewcastleGateshead, Visit Northumberland, Visit County Durham and all seven local authorities.
Powered by Vox’s POPGuide app, the technology is already used successfully in
destinations around the world, including Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Nashville, New York and Venice. It is available on both iOS and Android.
Visitors can now download the North East’s specially created audio guide via QR code
placed in key locations like hotels and transport hubs around the area. They can also access the digital guide via the region’s local tourism websites and
www.visitnortheastengland.com/pocketguide.
Travellers on train operator Lumo’s services on the East Coast can also access the
app via QR codes placed inside the company’s iconic electric blue trains, so
passengers can disembark in Newcastle or Morpeth and start exploring right away.
The app experience spotlights almost 100 points of interest across County Durham,
Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North & South Tyneside, from
UNESCO World Heritage sites to popular venues, attractions and natural wonders.
Like having a personal tour guide in your pocket, the app uses cutting-edge AI technology to translate the default local audio into German and Dutch.
Using geolocation features on users’ smartphones, the app’s auto-play feature will
automatically play relevant audio snippets as users travel around the region, providing
fascinating facts and unveiling the stories behind some of the region’s most iconic locations in real time.
Visitors can gaze across at the Tyne Bridge, ramble along Hadrian’s Wall, or wander past Durham Cathedral and hear a local voice (or a translation in their native language) provide fascinating insights about the point of interest.
It is hoped the app will encourage tourists to explore more of the region and stay longer in North East England. Tourism bosses will also gain access to useful, anonymised data,
showing how travellers move through the region and identifying which assets have a
particular draw.
Jonny Chambers, Experience North East England’s Senior PR & Comms Manager and the Sunderland-based voice behind the app, said:
"Being a born and bred Mackem who gets to tell the region’s story day in, day out, I
jumped at the chance to lend my voice to this powerful tool to help visitors get the most
out of their visit here. With so many fascinating stories to tell, it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to share the region’s tale with visitors from around the world, whilst dusting off my voiceover skills.”
The guide was developed as part of England’s first Destination Development Partnership Pilot (DDP). A trailblazing collaboration between the region’s Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and all seven local authorities, funded by the UK Government.
Experience North East England is the regional marketing lead for the visitor economy,
tasked with inspiring and attracting even more visitors to North East England by developing new and unforgettable experiences and products, as well as promoting the region's offer in domestic and global markets.
The app will be promoted to visitors as part of Experience North East England’s work to enhance the visitor offer across the region, working in collaboration with Local Visitor Economy Partnerships Visit County Durham, Visit Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead and across all seven local authority areas. This brand-new product and asset will help tell the region’s story to more than 70 million visitors who descend to North East England every year.