QR Code for “Palarong Pambansa”
With a smartphone and a recently launched application, tourists could now grasp the history behind the 230-year-old church building of Boljoon town in southern Cebu.
Visitors will get to access information about the Nuestro Señora Patrocinio de Maria Church, the only church in Cebu province declared as a Natural Cultural Treasure (NCT) in 2001, and other Boljoon treasures, through the use of quick response (QR) codes.
The codes were unveiled last Friday in front of the church by local officials led by Boljoon Mayor Merlou Derama as part of the Capitol’s thrust on developing digital tourism, said Provincial Tourism Officer Mary Grace Paulino. Cebu-based company, InnoPub Media Inc., developed the QR Codes in partnership with the Cebu provincial government and SmartCommunications.
Gov. Hilario Davide III earlier said the project will be replicated in all of the province’s historical attractions. It was launched in September last year in Argao town where the codes were installed in the town plaza.
To download information from the codes, the gadget needs to be connected to the Internet and have a QR code scanner which can be downloaded for free. Aside from developing digital tourism, the municipal government is also keen on tapping their local residents as tour guides to visitors, said Boljoon Tourism Officer Ronald Villanueva.
Villanueva said they already trained 42 “cultural interpreters” from their community-based tourism project that started last March. Aside from acting as guides, the residents sell local delicacies.
The coral-stone church built by the Augustinian friars is famous for its intricate wall carvings, ceiling frescoes and bass relief in Baroque Rococo. A museum below a 400-year old convent beside the church houses items unearthed by Cebuano anthropologists near the church in 2009.
The bones found in 26 burials, antique ceramic dishes and jars, a necklace of precious stones and a large gold earring were enclosed in glass panels inside the museum.
The “Digital Tourism Program” is part of a nationwide campaign by Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Cebu-based new media startup InnoPub Media.
The Boljoon Guide is available for free download to Android devices from the Google Play Store and Windows Phone gadgets from the Windows Phone Store. Other devices can use the mobile web version at https://boljoon.myguide.ph
“Hopefully, these twin projects of community-based cultural heritage tourism and digital tourism will connect the dots towards a brighter, sustainable and vibrant tourism industry in our beloved town. We are very thankful to SMART, InnoPub and Grassroots Travel,” said Boljoon Mayor Merlou Derama.
The program is in collaboration with Grassroots Travel of Boboi Costas.
“We taught the community members that all they need was a paradigm shift; that they don’t need to look far and invest financially to join the tourism industry. The resources needed for tourism development are right at their doorstep: heritage, history and having pride of place,” said Costas.
The Digital Tourism program was recognized by the Cebu City Council in a resolution passed on mass motion last January 2012 as an “ingenious” way of delivering information. Last February, the program was recognized with an Anvil Award of Merit during the 49th Anvil Awards held at the Solaire Resort and Casino.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
