Interesting initiative from UK tourism agency VisitBritain which has produced an iPhone app solely for film lovers touring around the British Isles.
The app is free from the iTunes app store and allows users to find locations where some of Britain’s most famous movies have been shot over the years.
Each destination includes background material about the film as well as details for how to find it.
Users can also find out how far they are from each location plus use the iPhone’s camera from within the app to take and store images.
Movies such as Braveheart, The 39 Steps, Harry Potter series, Notting Hill and Chariots of Fire are all included in the product.
VisitBritain is using a commercial tie-in with newer films to allow distributors to plug the movie through the app – the launch film features Guy Ritchie’s new period action-drama Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.
Officials say the motivation to build the app came from research which indicated a strong desire by visitors to track down the film locations of the some of the most iconic movies in British filmmaking.
The survey found that 40% of tourists to Britain are interested in the UK’s movie culture.
Seems like a very smart initiative by Visit Britain. Rather than trying to present the widest possible range of information on a mobile app – which seems to be the basic mindset by a DMO – why not focus on one of the many key motivating factors people use to make decision to visit. In the case of the U.K. movies makes a lot of sense. Switzerland Tourism introduced an iPhone app that is based on the wide range of events taking place there. There will likely be more of these efforts in the future.