Tourism Ministry Launches Incredible India Android App; A Virtual Tour Of 16 Cities

Indian Ministry of Tourism has just launched an Android application that will help people to take a virtual walking tour of 16 Indian cities, right on their smartphones.

Developed in collaboration with WoNoBo, this app is now available at Google Play Store. There is a web version of the application as well, which is available here. WoNoBo is a service built by Genesys International Corporation, an advanced geospatial technology company based out of India.

The 16 cities which are covered in this amazing application include: Agra, Ahmadabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad,Pune,  Jaipur, Kolkata and Mumbai. As per officials of the Tourism ministry, by the end of the year, more than 50 cities would be covered by this application.

Using Google Maps Street view, and other technological innovations, this application can provide any user with a 360 degree view of famous tourist spots in any of these cities. The user can scroll through the architecture and view the places as if they are really walking on the street.

Tourists who face language barriers while visiting a new location will find this application immensely beneficial as they can now scan the place on their apps before visiting, and seek out directions without asking anyone.

Last year, the ministry had launched the same application on their website, and was available to download for Blackberry mobiles. But with the Android launch, the application can have a broader reach and impact.

The application has identified several important locations within a city, which are deemed popular as per the feedback from tourists, and created a walking tour with 360 degree view of the place. For example, say a person is visiting Mumbai for the first time, and wants to have a virtual walk around the city on his mobile. He can simply enter the search terms or go directly to the Mumbai section and select the location to visit.

Here is an actual image when he searches Juhu beach in Mumbai:

By clicking and dragging the mouse over his image, the user can have a complete 360 degree experience of the place. The app also assists in providing directions to reach there, popular eateries around the place and more such tourist friendly information.

And here is the famous Connaught Place Tour of New Delhi:

These walking tours have been curated by renowned travel experts from the locations. Give it a try and let us know how you find it.