Over 220 tourist attractions and hotels in the north Tipperary area have been made available to in-car satellite navigation systems.Shannon Development and North Tipperary County Council have become one of the first state agency and local authority in Ireland to use satellite navigation systems (satnav) to map visitor attractions, activities and accommodation.
“As the number of satnav users has grown, so too has the number of independent travellers who want free, instant and accurate guidance and mapping information on ‘where to go’ and ‘what to see and do’ in the area they are visiting. The aim of the project was to address the deficit of information on satnav units in rural Ireland. Working with our partners North Tipperary County Council through our Shannon Broadband Company, we decided to explore ways of using cutting-edge technology to promote our range of tourism products" John King, assistant chief executive, Shannon Development told Silicon Republic.
“As part of our work around broadband development, we have already completed a €18.5m project laying fibre-optic cable to make broadband connectivity a reality in eight Shannon Region towns and in Limerick city. This latest project is a continuation of our aim to embrace new technology to help us promote the Shannon region,” King said. This is the first time that state bodies have come together to use pioneering new technologies to promote tourism. North Tipperary was chosen for the project as it is home to strategically important tourism assets such as Lough Derg and the River Shannon, the Slieve Felim region and historic towns such as Ballina and Roscrea.
