Years ago, the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society used QR codes to help people get information about the murals the society was putting up throughout the city.
“You’ll be directed to the local page of our website, but you’ll have to read it in the sun, which is a little difficult,” notes Kelly Gaylord, president of the Mural Society.
So she convinced the Charlotte County Tourist Development Council to subscribe to a mobile app called Otocast because it includes an audio feature that eliminates the need to read text in the sun.
But there is another advantage that Gaylord likes just as much.
“We only offer tours when we can afford it, which is in February and March when it’s cooler,” Gaylord noted. “So that leaves 10 more months where people don’t have that opportunity. So they can do their own tour, and they can actually talk to them, so they’re not reading something in the sun.”
The app is also available to the growing number of cultural tourists who research potential destinations online months or even years in advance.
But actually it was a little friendly competition that led the Tourist Development Council to choose Otocast.
“Sarasota and Fort Myers have adopted the app. When I presented it to our tourism office, they said, ‘Hey, Charlotte County has to be on this. They’re going to drive right through Charlotte County with this app, so we have to be on this.'”
All 31 of Punta Gorda’s murals can be found on Otocast, along with a growing number of the city’s historical markers.
Courtesy of Otocast.
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Audiocast.
MORE INFORMATION:
- Otocast works via geolocation. Users don’t need to know anything about a work of art, historic building or historical marker they come across. There’s no need to look for a plaque or QR code. Just tap the app and the guide will automatically appear, providing access to a range of information, including historical photos.
- Otocast currently offers travel guides with more than 4,500 interesting places in over 200 cities and over 90 countries.
- The Sarasota travel guide contains 96 artistic attractions.
- The Fort Myers Guide features 132 artistic and historical sites, including the River Basin Murals and the Buck’s Backyard Mural in McCollum Hall.
- You can visit Otocast online at app.otocast.com.
For more stories about the arts in Southwest Florida, visit Tom Hall’s website: SWFL art in the news.
