QRpedia plaque for the Rivera Wye on the Wye Bridge
Cermamic plaque with QRpedia code for Shire Hall
Monmouth in Wales has created quite a niche for itself in the world of tourism. The town has become the first “Wikipedia town” after launching a project called ‘Monmouthpedia’ which focuses on covering the town with QR codes that redirect scanners to Wikipedia pages providing information on the area in which the QR marker is placed.
The entire town has its hand in the project — over 200 businesses, multiple universities and just about every school and community organization in the area. The town has installed over 1,000 QRpedia codes that include plaques on public buildings, markers inside various buildings, and markers that label handpicked objects or landmarks.
When scanned, the page will automatically redirect to the language the user’s phone is set to, which currently includes more than 26 languages. The ‘Monmouthpedia’ project also strategically placed digital kiosks around the town and have made the town fully equipped with free WIFI, making the experience open and available to everyone.
We’re impressed — Monmouth is doing a great job of maximizing technology for tourism in the digital age. As a town known for its historic landmarks and attractions, using Wikipedia to not only provide a more interactive way for tourists to explore the city, but also as an educational tool, is simply brilliant. They’ve found a way to offer visitors an exciting new experience in a world where all things are digital.
Do you think the utilization of QR codes as tour guides will become a more commonly adopted feature of destination marketing? We want to know!
