Walk in Madiba’s footsteps with smart phone app
HOUGHTON - WALKING in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela has been made more accessible through a new app developed for smart phones.
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To celebrate the 25 years of Mandela’s release from prison, the Nelson Mandela Foundation in partnership with South African Tourism has established the interactive app.
International tourists and South Africans seeking out sites and attractions associated with Madiba, will now have all the information they need at their fingertips.
The app is based on the ‘Madiba-inspired tourist attractions’ map launched last year to encourage people to travel the country and walk in the footsteps of Mandela. It features tourist sites and general places of interest that defined Mandela’s life ranging from Robben Island, to his post-presidential office at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, and the village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape where he has been laid to rest.
“This app [will allow] users the ability to find, experience and share some of the best attractions and unique content [in the] ‘Madiba-inspired tourist attractions’ offering,” said Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom. “This is an exciting new layer to the map which has already proved to be hugely popular with the international and domestic travel trade. This app makes walking in the footsteps of Madiba much easier than before and greatly enriches visitors’ experiences of the attractions associated with one of the greatest men of our time.”
The GPS-enabled app uses location-based services to establish which attraction the user is visiting, and provides real-time information to enrich
their experience. This includes written information on the attraction, audio describing the attraction, and other relevant information including contact details, map previews and photo galleries.
It also includes an itinerary builder, helping to make it as easy as possible for those wanting to visit numerous attractions, and also makes it simple for visitors to share their experiences on social media.
The app is available for download in English from Apple iTunes store and Google Play store for Android devices.
It will soon be available in other languages.