Hello Maritime Mile

About the city. Belfast’s Titanic quarter has a coastal path with a rich history, known as the “Maritime Mile”. Public art installations, historical and marine artefacts are located along this alley.

Goal

The aim of the project is to animate a tourist area in the city centre creating a ‘playable city experience’ for the city’s visitors and locals while engaging with the city’s iconic heritage waterfront.

Implementation period. The pilot project was implemented in 2019.

Fact

The tourism industry has a large amount of data but does not have enough detail for effective planning and provision.

Solutions

The Belfast authorities conducted a number of partner-led design workshops to identify the crux of the problem. They developed a number of potential solutions, eventually deciding on SMS text engagement by applying response analytics on the responses and sentiment analysis.

Hello Maritime Mile is a playful interactive experience along the Maritime Mile in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. This pilot project aims to offer a fun digital attraction. At the same time, it helps tourism organizations experiment with new ways for the city to interact with visitors.

Starting with the Big Fish on Donegall Quay, people are able to “communicate” with objects along the section that ends at HMS Caroline in Alexandra Dock.

Using an SMS-enabled phone, users can send text messages to each landmark, for example: “Hello, big fish’ – and get responses with the information.

Attractions include SS Nomadic, Titanic Belfast, Belfast Harbour and The Great Light.

Team

Tourism NI, the Titanic Foundation, Ulster University, Belfast City Council’s Tourism and City Innovation teams and engagement technology company Hello Lamppost.

Timeline

• The successful project has been awarded Best Use of Digital Technology to Improve the Visitor Experience at the 2019 Northern Ireland Tourism Awards.
• The pilot, which was originally live for 6 weeks in February and March, has been extended to September 2019.

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