Digital signage continues to prove to be a great way to convey information as well as to create entertainment. It has been used in airports for many years and recently, organizations started adopting the option for the purpose of announcements and advertising. If you are in a travel-related business, you can use digital screens to make it easier to promote some of your products and services. This article focuses on some of the ways digital signage can be used in tourist localities.
As cultural information points
If you have been to the zoo, museum or other exhibition environments, you may have seen how extensively these places make use of large format digital screens. The monitors are used mainly as information kiosks. Thanks to the availability of weather-proof TV housings, the digital signage television screens can now be used outdoors. In some aspects, screens are also being updated with touchscreen displays to promote interactivity.
The use of electronic signage in tourist locations makes it easy for people to select their preferred language, find places of interest and get more information about the site. For example, if it is a museum, digital signage screens can be situated in convenient places where tourists can go to them for more research. The content being displayed can include information on cultural pieces as well as interesting facts about the items. The screens can also have other information that educates tourists about the area.
Way-finding
It is very rare to find someone in an airport asking for directions. This is because of the extensive use of digital signage screens, which make it easy for people to navigate around the busy and large structures. The same technique can be used in other tourist places.
The best thing about current day digital signage systems is that they can be utilized for virtually any information and in any format. Today, digital signs are being deployed to help visitors find their way around a tourist destination. A good example of how digital signage can be used for way-finding is the WalkNYC program. This is a program that was launched back in 2013 by the New York Department of Transportation. This unveiled a series of digital kiosks and graphic identities which offer information to tourists who are looking for directions. The program encourages travelers to walk around Manhattan and also uses beacon technology to pinpoint locations.
The same technique can be used in tourist spots. In addition to giving visitors directions to the places they want to visit, you can promote certain destinations such as your shop. The greatest thing about using digital signage for directions is that you can customize it in a way that it gives clear directions to places of interest. This can be enhanced with the use of images; you can also make suggestions such as nearby landmarks and other places of interest that tourists easily miss.
Service provision
Digital signage at tourist spots can also be used for service delivery. For example, the digital signage kiosk you erect can offer special services in addition to engaging with them. For example, if the tourist destination is located on a remote beach, you can provide Wi-Fi access points. This will be crucial if the location has limited or weak mobile Internet access.
In 2016, the Barry Island located in Wales deployed its digital kiosk in this way. The booth offered Internet access to the beachgoers in exchange for sign-up for valuable sign up details. Before tourists could access the Internet service, they had to fill out a questionnaire. This makes it easy to build tourist information board databases as well as refine the marketing messages being displayed on the digital signage screens as well as the services that the local businesses offer. This is an option you should examine exploring when launching a digital signage kiosk in a tourist spot.
In addition to that, it is possible to offer other services to the visitors. For example, you can make it possible for travelers to make reservations or book beach huts for the day using the screens. The screens can also offer such information as tide tables and weather reports.
You will only be limited by your imagination when it comes to service provision. All in all, you must make sure that you have the right screen for the job. For example, if you want tourists to interact with your screens, you must take advantage of a display that is touch enabled.
Local information
Digital signage in tourist spots can be used to deliver relevant local information, such as news and warnings. You can also use the screens to display traffic reports, upcoming events, advertise products and services and so on. The ability of digital signage to be continually updated is what makes it an ideal choice for delivering local information. You can also make use of live data streams, such as from your social media networks or the local news stations.
The digital signage screens can further be used to advertise local businesses and services. The best thing is that the medium helps engage the visitors more deeply than posters and printed brochures. The local hotels and restaurants can use the screens to advertise specific offers and rates whereas the exhibitions, and other activity based businesses can use the medium to reach tourists with their contact and address information, opening times, pricing and so on. All this helps spread the flow of tourist revenue throughout the community.
There are numerous ways in which digital signage can be used. It can be used to introduce tourist attractions, landmarks, local stores and so much more. Simply put, well managed digital signage screens will help improve the overall experience of the visitors and persons offering tourist-related products and services. Improved services will lead to a generation of word-of-mouth recommendations, which will in turn increase business in the tourist spot. To learn in what way you can use digital signage in a tourist spot, you have to keep learning what other service providers are doing around the world and also seek expert help to increase revenue potentially.