Geekiest destination: Reunion Island

A HOLD REUNION 1 - Copy
A HOLD REUNION 1 - Copy
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Written by Linda Hohnholz

The Reunion Island Tourism (IRT) office yesterday launched their latest app offering users the very best of current technological advances with a complete 360-degree experience on their smart phone, p

The Reunion Island Tourism (IRT) office yesterday launched their latest app offering users the very best of current technological advances with a complete 360-degree experience on their smart phone, phablet, or tablet.

Words like โ€œleap motionโ€ or โ€œaugmented reality tourโ€ will probably be best understood by tech geeks, but everyday users of the new platform will swiftly come to realize that indeed they have been given a tool which will address their every need and can answer every question about the islandsโ€™ wide range of attractions and locations, including, on gadgets enabled for that, in 3D. The new phone application will allow users to virtually fly over the island and experience the ride from high up over the rugged interior, even the volcano Piton de la Fournaise or along the beaches.


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Reunion Island Tourism App


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Interactive design


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Just point and you’re there!

To use the new app to the fullest extent and to explore the stunning scenery of Reunion Island, users can just print the mapping (sort of QR code) and point at it with a phone: The contours of the island and viewpoints of the volcano or the beaches then appear on the screen as if by magic for a unique travel experience on Reunion Island!

To make the experience even more intense, panoramas and 360-degree videos are accessible right from the map. To start a video with the 360-degree option, users need to just aim with the blue pointer. The 360-degree panoramas are, in turn, accessible from the map, directing the smartphone to the yellow icons giving the opportunity to discover beautiful spherical photos of Reunion Island. And finally, for that ultimate experience and immersion, it is possible to enjoy the view in three dimensions using Google Cardboard glasses.

In 2012, IRT won the special โ€œInnovationโ€ award for its application โ€œVirtual Tours Reunionโ€ from โ€œTravel dโ€™ Orโ€ while in 2014, the IRT was honored among the five finalists in this category again for its new free application, โ€œReunion Island.โ€ This accomplishment gave the island also the status of โ€œGeekiest destination.โ€

The Reunion Island VR application is available on Google Play and via www.reunion.fr where added information about Destination Reunion can also be found.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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