Turisme de Barcelona and Barcelona City Council in conjunction with the Eurecat technology centre as technology partner today presented at the Valkiria Hub in Poblenou a new app designed to relieve overcrowding in tourist sites by suggesting alternative ways of visiting them. Called Check Barcelona, the new app is a guide to the city and its surrounding metropolitan area and province featuring real-time information about how many people are using facilities, public spaces, beaches, car parks and other tourist sites and attractions.
Against the backdrop of Covid-19 where visitors are increasingly concerned about safety measures, Check Barcelona makes it possible to manage visits at off-peak times and in less crowded venues which makes for greater safety while enhancing the visitor experience.
This new free app provides visitors with a real-time way of finding out how busy venues are and managing their bookings in line with the safety and capacity protocols in place. Making visits more efficient in this way adds to visitor satisfaction and improves management of tourist sites and attractions hosting large numbers of visitors. Up-to-date information on safety protocols, mobility and other relevant aspects also helps to ensure visits are safe.
This is the first European app to include a number of repositories to manage visitor flows. It has been devised in conjunction with Tech City, the Mobile Foundation and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and seeks to enhance the quality of the tourism range available and the visitor experience. Optimising the visit is a challenge which promoters need to meet by offering visitors information alongside products and services which save time and money and additionally help to make visits more sustainable.
Check Barcelona is compatible with any mobile or desktop platform. The offering is displayed with information about the number of visitors and it allows searches based on closeness or thematic interests. It further provides the option of booking a visit along with information about transport, access and parking and additionally reports on the safety protocols in place at each venue.
This app is integrated in real time via API with a number of information repositories to deliver real-time information. The beaches show occupancy information via the cameras set up on them which is then analysed to derive occupancy indicators. As the app is integrated with Turisme de Barcelona’s ticket sales platform, it provides information on the occupancy rate of approximately 280 facilities and makes it possible to book and buy tickets on the spot without having to queue.
The app is additionally integrated with the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB), which also supplies information about occupancy, as well as TMB and BSM, which report on how full nearby public transport options and car parks are.
The new app is expected to gradually add a number of other venues and facilities around the city and the destination. They will include a heat map displaying the number of visitors on public roads, smart suggestions to show how crowded the city and its facilities are based on historical data and additional communication via other audiovisual channels.
