Opportunity/Context
Provins, a UNESCO World Heritage medieval city in France, is adorned with fascinating points of interest and ancient monuments such as the Pieuré, Grange aux Dîmes, and Tour César. Despite its rich history, the city lacked technological solutions to support international travellers and effectively share its unique stories. The Office de Tourisme de Provins sought to enhance the visitor experience by providing detailed, multilingual information and ensuring that guests could navigate the city with ease.
Solution/Outcome
Sycomore, the arts and culture division of Vox Group, partnered with the Office de Tourisme de Provins to address these challenges. Initially, they developed two Audiopen projects—multilingual audio guiding technology—for the Pieuré and the Grange aux Dîmes. These devices offered exclusive content that brought the history of these monuments to life, significantly enriching the visitor experience. Building on this success, in 2024, Sycomore produced a special POPGuide smartphone solution for the Tour César. Utilizing fully automatic beacon-driven audio commentary, the app provided immersive narratives as visitors explored the monument, ensuring they received added value services throughout their tour. The integration of POPGuide not only enhanced the storytelling but also increased the package value of the city's tourism offerings by providing an interactive and engaging way to discover Provins. The positive feedback from visitors and the client led Sycomore to propose a comprehensive POPGuide integration for 2025. This expansion will incorporate all previous content and offer full city navigation and audio content, allowing guests to explore every corner of Provins with confidence. By delivering exclusive content and seamless navigation, the Office de Tourisme de Provins aims to attract more international travelers and provide an unforgettable experience that celebrates the city's medieval heritage. Through this collaboration, Sycomore has helped transform Provins into a modern tourist destination that still preserves its historical charm. The innovative audio solutions have not only elevated the visitor experience but also positioned the city as a leader in cultural tourism enhanced by technology.
The Result
With guides speaking into a Vox transmitter pre-set to its own unique frequency, voice commentary was clearly heard by passengers within a 200-metre radius, allowing each tour to flow in a fluid motion and removing the need for the guides to raise their voice. Princess Cruises and their passengers were highly satisfied with their Kirkwall experience. With this increase in customer satisfaction Prince Cruises decided to include Vox Tour Guide Systems in their 2018 UK programme. European Cruise Service now have included the Vox Tour Guide System as an inexpensive, added-value option to complement any future client shore excursion programmes.
