Location-based social network to integrate Travel Channel dining content

Gowalla, a location-based social-networking service on smartphones, concluded an agreement with the Travel Channel to integrate some of its content.

In the initial integration, the Gowalla platform, which just became available on Android devices, and was already compatible with iPhones and Blackberrys, will incorporate content about dining venues visited in the Travel Channel’s new TV series, Food Wars.

Food Wars takes well-known chefs and has them face-off against one another, with their culinary talents judged in a showdown through a blind taste test.

With Gowalla apps, users “check-in” to various restaurants and travel destinations and share their experiences with friends on Gowalla and other social networks. They can also collect “game-like rewards” at locations they visit.

When Gowalla users check in to venues visited in Food Wars, they will be able to read show-related information about the restaurant and collect passport-stamp rewards, Gowalla says.

“Catering to the loyal fan bases of these local eating establishments creates an ideal environment for consumer interaction and brand engagement,” says Chris Ackermann, director of business development for the Travel Channel.

In other developments, last month Gowalla released an API for developers.

The Gowalla homepage features a scroll of users checking in to venues around the world.

Gowalla says users have checked in at 600,000 locations in more than 165 countries.