Samboan Mayor Raymond Calderon (in barong) uses his smartphone to read a QR Code installed outside the town hall. With him are Jane Paredes, Smart Communications Inc., Vis-Min chief for corporate communications, his twin brother Peter of the Provincial Board and Max Limpag of InnoPub Media. (CDN PHOTO/MICH PADAYHAG)
Did you know that the St. Jacob’s Ladder in Samboan town in southwestern Cebu has 147 steps?
The flight of stone steps leads to a watchtower built during the Spanish colonial era in 1878.
Vistors can find out more about the town’s history by pointing an Android smartphone or tablet to scan codes on interactive markers installed there and four other heritage structures.
The Samboan municipal government launched the QR (quick response) Codes yesterday during its town fiesta.
Five interactive markers, covered with acrylic sheets, were installed in the town’s municipal hall, the St. Michael the Archangel church, the Museo de Samboan, the watch tower and Jacob’s Ladder.
Samboan Mayor Raymond Calderon told reporters the town has been trying to promote Samboan as a tourist destination and realized that digital tourism was an effective way
So far, interactive markers have been installed in town centers of Argao, Bojoon, Carcar City in south Cebu as well as the Provincial Capitol, as part of the province’s program of digital tourism in cooperation with Smart Communications and homegrown developer InnoPub Media.
Max Limpag, co-founder of InnoPub Media, said they will install another interactive marker at Aguinid Falls in barangay Tangbo, also in Samboan town.
Tourists can can download a QR code reader application for free from Google Play.
By scanning the QR code, a visitor will be given access to photos as well as useful information like guides and recommendation on where to eat and shop, list of festivals and a glossary of useful Cebuano words and phrases.
“Tourists can download these applications before visiting the towns so they can plan ahead,” Limpag said.
Calderon said it took a year to prepare, with municipal staffers researching on historical data that went into the app.
“We hope more tourists will visit Samboan. With digital tourism, they can access more of what they want to see.”
Jane Paredes, head of communications for Visayas and Mindanao of Smart Communications, said the cost of going digital was minimal.
“The role of the LGUs is to take care of the interactive markers,” she said.
She said one advantage is that they can easily update the information on the application.Paredes said Santander town in south Cebu will be the next to launch the program in April.
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