Experiencing Brussels and all its tourist attractions will take on a whole new dimension thanks to the latest technology. Visitors to Brussels might be able to throw away their tourist guidebooks sooner than we could have imagined, to discover a brand new way of exploring that includes QR codes and NFC (Near Field Communication) tags. This new tourist initiative, designed by up-and-coming Brussels-based company TagTagCity.com, has enjoyed an exclusive launch by the Minister-President of the French-speaking Brussels Government responsible for Tourism, Christos Doulkeridis, in the presence of Patrick Bontinck, Managing Director of VISITBRUSSELS, and Natacha Vandenberghe, ITC and Communication Director of Wallonia-Brussels Tourism.
The TagTagCity experience will give tourists and locals the chance to use technology to discover out-of-the-ordinary parts of the city, enjoy some more unusual walking routes and take part in treasure hunts around Brussels, while enjoying a range of benefits and promotions throughout their stay. The perfect way to explore Brussels in a fun and, more importantly, innovative way. “Brussels stands out as a pioneer of tourism of the future. At a time when tools used to promote tourism are becoming increasingly digital, incorporating more and more cutting-edge technology, this new service is a new tool in the armoury of information sources for Belgians and Europeans visiting our capital”, announces Christos Doulkeridis, Minister-President of the French-speaking Brussels Government responsible for Tourism.
In practical terms, visitors who want to enjoy the TagTagCity experience just need a smartphone or a Clickey. Armed with this TAG reader (Clickey), in the form of a USB stick, or a smartphone, visitors wander through the streets of Brussels looking for the TAGs and QR codes dotted around the city. Appearing on monuments, museums, shops, restaurants and bars, the content is available to users just by clicking.
So what do you get for discovering these TAGs, on the walls and signs of Brussels? A wealth of historic and cultural information, but also points that visitors can save up to enjoy promotions offered by the establishments taking part in the experience. To unlock these offers, visitors just log in to their TagTagCity account online and download the information they have collected to add up the points (Ecus) that they have collected during their travels. TagTagCity.com also plans to become a platform for users to communicate with each other by adding comments about the places they have visited as well as sharing their experiences of the city.
To start with, Brussels has some 200 places that are tagged (popular tourist destinations with signs and markers installed by the French Community Commission in municipalities in the Brussels region). This first “wave” of tags also gives shopkeepers and tourist operators the chance to get involved in the adventure. The perfect way to offer visitors plenty of choice and the chance to enjoy lots of benefits offered by participating shops and tourist attractions.
Supported by Brussels’ official tourist bodies, VISITBRUSSELS, Wallonia-Brussels Tourism and Toerisme Vlaanderen, TagTagCity has the clear ambition of becoming an extra string in the city’s already impressive bow.
