Cars beat buses and trains in Northern Territory Brolga Tourism Awards

A small business offering digital audio travel guides for self-drive tourists in Outback Australia has won a prestigious 2011 Northern Territory Brolga Tourism Award in the category of Specialised Tourism Services at the weekend.


DIY Tourguide’s GPS triggered iPhone app, MP3 and CD audio tours are the first of their type and this niche product for the Northern Territory reinforced its acceptance by the marketplace by rising to the top of the Brolga Award category over national companies offering tourist products for buses and trains.
The Brolga Awards are the tourism industry’s highest accolade and recognises tourism businesses that strive for excellence in every area of their operation. Winners represent the best products and services in the Northern Territory.
“I am thrilled to receive the Brolga Award and see innovation and small products recognised,” said Alice Springs based Laurelle Halford, who is the director for DIY Tourguide and the only employee in the business. She is also Creative Territory's Alice Springs consultant.
“More and more tourists coming to the Outback are travelling independently in their own or rental cars rather than in a group with an on-board tour guide, meaning they miss out on vital information to help them fully appreciate the region.
“We wanted to better entertain self-drive tourists and help them to interpret the Outback landscape as they drive through it and not see the centre of our country as an empty, barren place.”
Along with CD and MP3 tours, DIY Tourguide’s unique iPhone application offers detailed, location aware audio commentary over a distance of hundreds of kilometres giving self-drive tourists a new appreciation of the region as they travel.
“For the tech-savvy tourist lack of mobile phone and internet coverage in Outback Australia no longer needs to be a barrier to accessing latest technology.”
Ms Halford says work is underway to expand the company’s self-drive routes beyond the West MacDonnell Ranges and between Alice Springs and Uluru to other routes across the Northern Territory and Australia.

DIY Tourguide is one of the many Brolga Award winners who will represent the Northern Territory in the Australian Tourism Awards in Cairns on 2 March 2012.

Twittercue: DIY Tourguide app helps Alice company win Brolga Tourism award. #alicesprings #topend #tourismnt http://tiny.cc/diybrolga

Are you a PR professional planning a visit to the NT, Australia?

PRIA is looking for potential workshop speakers for events in Darwin and Alice Springs.

If you are a PR professional planning to visit Australia's tropical north, the Public Relations Institute of Australia's Northern Territory branch would love to hear from you.

The PRIA is always looking for guest speakers for their various workshops and seminars, although they work on a very limited budget.

So if you are heading our way and would love to give back to your professional community, please let us know by leaving a comment on this post or sending us an email tracy@creativeterritory.com

Twittercue: Searching for PR pros planning to visit #Darwin or #AliceSprings in #Australia. http://tiny.cc/ntvisit

New GPS iPhone application to guide self-drive tourists in Outback Australia

A guided tour through the ancient landscape of Outback Australia is now possible through modern technology with a new iPhone application, which triggers precise GPS points and a map without the need for mobile phone or internet coverage.

Launched today in Alice Springs by DIY Tourguide, the first iPhone application for the Northern Territory offers detailed, location aware audio commentary over a distance of more than 100km and will give self-drive tourists a new appreciation of the region as they travel.

The West MacDonnell Ranges Self-drive Audio Tour departs from Alice Springs and travels through the West MacDonnell National Park, bringing to life stories of early pioneers, Aboriginal culture, flora, fauna, history, geology and more, in areas where there is no mobile or internet access.

DIY Tourguide, who already offer CD and MP3 audio guides between Alice Springs and Uluru, and the West MacDonnell Ranges, have developed the GPS triggered tour and technology to reach the tech-savvy tourist.

Laurelle Halford, Director of DIY Tourguide says that lack of mobile phone and internet coverage in regional Australia no longer needs to be a barrier to accessing latest technology.

“Many tech-savvy tourists are already using GPS guided iPhone applications in cities and towns around the world, but over a smaller area.”

“We wanted to better entertain self-drive tourists and help them to interpret the landscape in precise locations, where they might otherwise see an empty, barren place.”

The app plays audio commentary at predetermined GPS points with the driver’s current position moving along on a map, and is packed with 80 minutes of fascinating information, travel suggestions, and an image gallery.

“The technology is not just unique in its ability to work without mobile or internet access coverage, but it is designed to optimise sample GPS locations to maximise better life of the iPhone over long distances.”

The app, also available for iPad, allows the tour audio to be played anywhere in the world, meaning tourists can re-live and enjoy their trip when they return home.
DIY Tourguide is also developing new tour routes in Outback Australia, and are translating tours into French, German and Italian to give international self-drive tourists a fresh experience of Outback Australia.

Both the iPhone and iPad applications are now available through Apple’s iTunes store. For more information visit http://www.diytourguide.com.au/

The Power of Positive Speech

Some friends of mine have just returned from a magnificent round-the-world trip and spent some time regaling me with their holiday stories.

They finished the conversation with this classic: “It was one of those holidays when everything that could go right did go right.”

Hang on – did I hear that correctly? Everything that could go RIGHT?

In PR, we’re always telling our clients how important it is to develop messages that are positive, not negative. “Keep the focus on you,” we tell them.

This story illustrates that point very clearly. Imagine if the story my friends told me was about everything that went WRONG? What would it leave me feeling at the end?

“Typical airlines … I’ve had just that experience with them before … can’t be trusted … who’d go to that country anyway … for the amount you pay you’d think the hotel could at least be clean …. “. And so on, and so on. My focus would be on all the companies and people who had made this holiday a bad one.

Negative messages can divert our attention from the main game. Instead of focusing on the key points I am trying to get across, by being negative I risk leading my audience down another path.

So what happened when my friends told me everything that went RIGHT? What did I feel?

“Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving couple …. good on them …. what a great holiday …” And so on.

Whether you are talking up a product or fending off a developing issue, positive language can be very positive in getting people on side. It builds confidence with the listener and keeps them focused on you and your message.

Think about this scenario: You are the chairman of a company that has had a food product tampered with. You’re facing a media conference. Which of the following messages is going to do the most good for both you and your customers:

a. We can’t believe anyone would do such a terrible thing.
b. We’re going to find this criminal and make him pay.
c. We will stop at nothing to make our food safe for customers.

Think positive, talk positive. It’s the key to clear communication.