KAWARTHA LAKES-Walk, listen and sense the heritage of downtown Fenelon Falls using the new Fenelon Falls Driftscape App.
Popularly known as the “Jewel of the Kawarthas”, Fenelon Falls offers unique shops, dining experiences, landmarks and outdoor activities. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and tourism trends began to shift, this quaint village and many others faced an unprecedented challenge: “How to become the chosen destination for visitors, offering a safe tourism experience in any given environment?”
With this mission and a “go digital” mandate in mind, Fenelon Falls embarked on a new journey. Supported by an innovative partnership with a Canadian augmented reality tourism app co. – Driftscape. “The launch of the Fenelon Falls Driftscape app is a great way for the Fenelon Falls & District Chamber of Commerce to showcase the community in a COVID friendly way to visitors and encourage local residents to learn something new about their hometown,” says Marylee Boston, Manager | Fenelon Falls & District Chamber of Commerce
With the help of Driftscape Fenelon Falls can:
- Answer the question “what is there to do here ”: Fenelon Falls will be able to bring information right to their visitors fingertips with the app
- Digitize Visitor Center Services: Complementing their visitor center, the app allows them to share tourism information
- Create self-guided tours: The app’s capabilities to create interactive self-guided tours with audio and video enhancements, Fenelon Falls will help visitors discover the hidden gems in a covid-safe way
- Keep their locals & visitors updated: With the help of the app, Fenelon Falls will be able to share realtime information about the destination
- Help locals rediscover their backyard: With location-aware notifications, locals will uncover hidden gems they didn’t know about and will be able to re-discover their own backyard in a whole new way
- Support local businesses during and after the pandemic: By highlighting their local businesses in the app, Fenelon Falls will be able to drive awareness and footfall to them.
- Create the unique opportunity to “couch-surf”: By mapping their points of interest in the app, Fenelon Falls will enable people from all over Canada to explore their destination from home – helping them stay stop of mind
Did you know Fenelon Falls was one of the first communities to harness the power of the falls to generate hydroelectricity as far back as 1894 or that the carving of the Trent Severn Waterway sliced through Fenelon creating an island that would later become the canal that flows through town? YOu can find out this and more on the Historial Walking Tour using the App.
Vince Killen, Executive Director of the KLCFDC, notes “Access to Digital Tourism through augmented reality with the Fenelon Falls app will be an exciting new way to explore our area. We are looking forward to using the technology and seeing local tourism grow safely.”
In early 2021, Fenelon Falls will also pilot Driftscape’s newest visitor engagement feature – “ Quests”. Backed with hints, images, video and audio, this scavenger hunt feature will help gamify tourism. Allowing Fenelon Falls to share a unique experience with their visitors and locals as they explore the community. Users will be able to quest on location in AR mode or from the comfort of their home in map mode, a great way to give locals and visitors a safe yet fun adventure!
The development of the Fenelon Falls Tourism app is supported by the Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation (KLCFDC) through the Rural Innovation Initiative Eastern Ontario and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
To begin exploring Fenelon Falls, click here https://www.driftscape.com/deeplink-page-redirect?_branch_match_id=482557123618787624 or search for #ExploreFenelonFalls in the Driftscape app.
