14 DAY TRIAL // Visual Travel Tours (VTT) announced on Tuesday the launch of its website, the first portal in the world where people can find professional multimedia tours. According to the company, these tours have been created specifically to be viewed on smartphones, cell phones or PDAs, but they can also be accessed through mobile video players as well as on desktops and laptops.
“An entire generation is changing the way it works, plays, and thinks, thanks to their ubiquitous mobile devices,” said Guy Smith, dean of Educational Programs & Mobile Media Institute, Santa Barbara City College. “VTT has used the latest technology to receive worldwide inputs and then they provide that content optimized for multi-platform delivery. Only now is this possible. VTT is leveraging the most important and widespread technology of our time.”
According to VTT, any traveler can find on the website a wide range of worldwide adventures that will cost only a fraction of the price of a traditional tour. What the company has to offer includes compelling half-hour tours to destinations such as San Diego, Reims, or Madrid. Those who would like to make an idea of what they might see while on the go should also turn to VTT for suggestions, as they can find various selections based on geography or personal interests there. Moreover, the company says, more tours will be added to the site each week.
Besides the collection of walking and driving tours, users will find on VTT web-based travel advice from local experts, as well as links to different travel-related services, not to mention maps, weather info, currency conversion, products and reservations that are also available. While writers with experience in a region are the authors of the VTT tours, tour guides can also come up with their own tours. Those who would like to learn more should head to the company's site.
The tours are formatted to be accessible on iPods, iPhones, PDAs, computers, and cell phones, and VTT will charge a one-time fee for each tour, ranging from $19.95 for a disc of all audio/video formats, to $15.95 for audio/video tours and $12.95 for the “Quiet Guide” version (text and photos). In addition, the company also says that users will be able to pause or skip ahead on the tour after the purchase, a feature that should appeal most to independent minded travelers.
“VTT provides personal, multi-media travel guided tours that fit in the palm of your hand,” said Marie Profant, president and founder of VTT. “Travelers will no longer need to pack heavy guidebooks. They can experience everything a destination has to offer from the comfort of their lightweight personal mobile device. VTT also provides a full selection of travel tips and ePostcards, as well as links to invaluable personal guides and event calendars for major destinations throughout the world. VTT enables the traveler to pre-plan their trip or access travel information on the go.”