Outdoor Apps for Tourism Destinations

Outdoor Apps – tailor-made or off the shelf?

Tourism professionals know it: information about outdoor activities, sights and events must also be available to guests on their mobile device.

In this article, we will reveal which outdoor apps are suitable for this purpose and what other options are available.

Simple & cost-effective – Responsive Design

Do you already have a great website that describes hiking trails, cycling tours, restaurants, hotels and events in detail?

Then it may be enough to simply design this website in “Responsive Design”. This means adapting the menu navigation and content to the smaller screen sizes of smartphones and tablets.
This makes your website look like an outdoor app! And all this without great costs and administrative effort!
In addition, you increase the traffic on your website. And your guests can use the content both when planning their vacations on the PC and later on site.

Our tip:
Add cycling and hiking maps including descriptions for download, so that this information is also accessible offline to your guests. Because this is not only easy on the battery and the wallet. The information is also available where there is no reception at all.

Websites in Responsive Design are not witchcraft, but actually already standard

Only for professionals: Your own bespoke app

To program a really good app is not that easy – and costs a lot of money. But a bad app does more harm than good!

Because there is a lot to consider:

Of course the app has to be easy to use, that means the navigation has to be logical and intuitive.
A content management tool is absolutely necessary.
The content has to be selected and designed in a way, that the app does not take up too much memory on the smartphone. And does not drain the battery within a short time.
Data protection and accessibility are a must, as are the requirements of Google and Apple for acceptance in the app stores.
The app must be programmed for both Android and iOS, which means about 30% more work.
Ongoing adaptations to new smartphones and operating systems must be guaranteed.
Appropriate budgets for promoting the app are essential.

Our tip:
Make yourself smart in advance! Try apps from other destinations. And hire a company that can already provide appropriate references.
Together you then should create a precise requirement profile, budget and time frame.
The more time and thought you put into it in advance, the better the result will be!

Slow, expensive download or not accessible at all? Such an outdoor app only annoys the guests!

Proven & well known – existing Outdoor Apps

A good possibility are already existing outdoor apps, which can function as guest app in your own design.
This makes sense especially for those destinations, where there are many offers for hiking, Nordic walking, mountain biking or cycling.

The typical outdoor apps offer live tracking, precise maps and route descriptions with information on the time, difficulty, ground conditions and points of interest along the way. Known solutions are already used by millions of people. e.g. outdooractive offers tourism destinations the possibility to adapt the app to their own design.
Another well working and therefore popular solution is komoot.de

Our tip:
It is important that the app is free of charge for your guests! Also pay attention to the possibilities for offline use. The live mode and tracking of course requires an internet connection. This might be associated with high roaming charges for international guests.
And often there is no reception at all. That’s why you need to be able to download maps and descriptions in advance so that you can use them offline while on the trail.

Good outdoor apps provide security and orientation. That is why they are popular with young and old!

Play it safe – offline apps

Most apps, especially almost all outdoor apps, require Internet access.
Because the app download contains only menus & navigation, so that the required memory space and download time are kept low. The contents are then loaded dynamically.
Of course, this should work quickly and free of charge for all guests. So you need an area-wide and powerful free Wifi network.

But of course, in nature parks, on mountain tops and in gorges and valleys this simply does not exist.
Often it is not even possible to establish a telephone connection. Then the most beautiful app is useless if you forgot to download the required contents in advance.

Our tip:
In these cases an offline app like speechcode is the ideal and cost-effective solution. By means of weatherproof NFC Speech Tags, your information is available directly on site, at the paths and sights.
The data transfer is direct, i.e. without any network connection. SpeechCode works therefore always and everywhere!

The best thing is:
The information is not only shown on the display, but also read aloud by a voice assistant and automatically saved.
This leaves hands and eyes free for sports equipment and the view of beautiful nature. So this app is also an audio guide!