The smartphone is fast becoming an indispensable tool for the traveller both in Malta and abroad. To satisfy the demand for more services accessible on the go, the developers of an app for smartphones in Ireland have just launched a version of their guide with information about the Maltese islands.
My Maltese Guide takes a different route from similar digital local guides by being more entertaining to the users, most of whom come to Malta to relax and have fun. Indeed it exploits the charismatic Gianni Zammit as the voice of the guide, who has added his unique sense of humour and style into the final product.
“An app has to meet the needs of today’s modern culture that wants to be entertained. It needs to be user-friendly and can’t be too technical and the tourist should always be one button away from what they want to know and to find out,” explained to i-Tech Stephen Place, the managing director of My Irish Guide, which developed the Maltese version.
“The fact is that there are so many people with smartphones and more and more people want to be independent when they travel. Knowing the tourism industry, not everyone wants a guided tour so we felt fun audio could appease and entertain the independent travellers and even allow them a taste of a country or city before they even arrive.”
Between research and development, it took around three months to put the app together.
The team chose to take an innovative approach with snappy audio walk-throughs, easy-to-read text guides, bar and restaurant recommendations, and in-app offers for discounts and savings.
“It requires a big investment in all aspects from recording, research, copywriting and the biggest cost, development. In order to compete with the best apps, a huge investment is needed. You need to invest in development and marketing to be able to do so properly,” added Mr Place.
The Maltese app has benefited from the experience of My Irish Guide, and indeed borrows its interface design.
“My Irish Guide is a different take on audio and it summarises Ireland in a nut shell. It has a huge appeal in the US. Well, the business model changed a little as we felt in-app purchases maybe wasn’t the right way to draw sales. We are now a paid app and we understand the fickle Apple App Store market a lot better today,” admitted Mr Place.
My Maltese Guide is available on the Google Play Store (for Android phones) and iTunes (for iPhone, iPad and iPod) at a nominal charge.
Once purchased, all in-app features are included, namely, four audio tours, two walking tours and two driving tours.