National historic site offers visitors a high-tech tour with tablets A local historic site in New Brunswick is using a new way to uncover some very old stories. Sean McHugh and his 10-year-old son Connor are part of history at the Fort Beauséjour – Fort Cumberland National Historic Site. The Ontario visitors are among the first members of the public to use a tablet as a tour guide. “I think it’s a good marriage of the old and the new,” says McHugh. “Before, you’d have a piece of paper that you’d have to kind of flip through when you got to, you know, one of the sites, where now the new pad takes you exactly where you need to go.” The Explora Fort Tour is a new interactive way for visitors to discover the secrets and stories of the site. Visitors can follow the tour on the screen and the device buzzes whenever they approach an important part of the journey. “It uses GPS points and it has different points of interest as you go along a trail and you’ve got photos, images, quizzes and information,” says interpretation officer co-ordinator Juliette Bulmer. The Explora Virtual Tour helps introduce history in a new way for today’s tech savvy generation. “We’re always on our phones, we’re always on our tablets, it’ll be a new way to discover our history, our heritage,” says new media assistant Dominique Lirette. The device allows visitors to connect with the site at their own speed and to concentrate on points they find most interesting. “Well, I think it’s very 2013,” says Quebec tourist Jimmy Mercier. “I think we’re getting there and it’s fun to match the old nation with the new generation of people. I think it will be more attractive, especially with young kids, and even us.” Staff will still be available to inform and educate visitors personally and without technology, but they believe the tablets will become a popular, virtual, tour guide. “They might be a young family, they might be a middle-aged couple, or people who are just curious in using today’s technology to discover the features of the fort,” says Bulmer. The tablets will be available starting this weekend and in the weeks ahead, tourists will be able to download the app on their own devices. Dan MacIntosh
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 16:53:54 +0000