Port Hope to Launch Tourism App Using AR, Beacon Technology

Port Hope in southern Ontario is developing a new tourism app to help visitors tour the municipality. The app will highlight destinations such as “fishing hot spots, scenic photo locations and picnic locales, along with restaurants, shopping outlets and other activities,” reports Northumberland News.

Toronto-based agency Cundari Group is developing the app, which is expected to cost $107,000; but the agency is doing it pro-bono for the municipality “to build a case study”, says marketing manager Kevin Narraway. He received a cold call from the Toronto agency looking for place-based marketing opportunities when they started chatting about beacon technology.

“I told them my dream was to create an app with beacon technology,” explained Narraway. “You’ll recall Pokemon Go. Same technology.”

However, a grant application for $53,250 was approved on March 21 under the Rural Economic Development Program, to put towards marketing costs in conjunction with the Cundari.

The app will offer information such as history of fishery, plus fishing hot spots along the Ganaraska River, along with scenic photo locations, picnic areas, restaurants, retail outlets and more. It is slated for an August launch and will be bilingual, plus support Mandarin.

Cundari will own the app and hopes to partner with other municipalities to market a similar app.