Singapore Tourism Board and Google Expand Collaboration for Augmented Reality Tours in the City
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Google are teaming up to bring augmented reality (AR) tours of the city nation to a whole new level. Following the success of the AR tours on the Visit Singapore Travel Guide app, the two organizations are now expanding their collaboration to offer enhanced AR experiences directly on Google Maps throughout Singapore.
STB is set to become one of two institutions globally to join a pilot program that will bring immersive AR experiences in Singapore directly into Google Maps later this summer. This decision comes on the heels of the successful launch of Merli’s Immersive Adventure, an innovative AR tour featuring 6 enchanting stops around Singapore, which was introduced on STB’s app in January.
The new pilot program will see STB continuing to utilize Google’s ARCore and Geospatial Creator to develop new location-based AR experiences directly on Google Maps. Additionally, STB has onboarded over a dozen other tourism stakeholders in Singapore to join the pilot, with plans for them to develop their own location-based AR experiences. These stakeholders include retail malls along Orchard Road, local heritage businesses in Chinatown, and popular museums and attractions.
Simon Ang, Director of Singapore Tourism Board, expressed the board’s dedication to testing frontier technologies that can revolutionize the visitor experience. He emphasized the benefits of the pilot program for local businesses, travelers, and the overall enhancement of Singapore’s tourism industry.
In total, 30 places across 4 key tourism precincts in Singapore will soon offer AR experiences, showcasing the city’s multicultural neighborhoods, iconic architecture, and delicious cuisine. Whether visitors want to witness a dragon dance in Chinatown or explore the local dishes at Maxwell Food Centre, there will be a wide range of AR experiences available to immerse them in the city.
Users can access the AR content on their mobile devices by scanning their surroundings using Lens in Maps, which overlays the physical surroundings in the real world. The experiences will also be available remotely via Street View on the Google Maps mobile app, allowing curious individuals to access them from anywhere.
Eric Lai, Google’s Group Product Manager for AR, highlighted the significance of location-based AR experiences in helping users discover iconic cities like Singapore in a whole new way. The full AR experience will be available on Google Maps later this summer, with STB aiming to expand the number of location-based AR experiences beyond 30, with the goal of making Singapore the world’s first “AR City” in Google Maps.
