[ Press Release] Canada’s Capital Region - This summer, visitors to the Capital Region will experience new ways of connecting and discovering the many Capital sites and landmarks. Over the past two years, the National Capital Commission (NCC) has modernized its approach to visitor services by providing service where visitors are and maximizing the use of new technologies. “The Capital Region welcomes more than ten million visitors each year and they are looking for information by various means, including the Internet and smart phones,” said Daniel Feeny, Director, marketing and partnerships at the NCC. “The Capital Wi-Fi service and the new Interactive Touch Screen units are part of our innovative approach that uses technology to enhance the visitor’s experience.” New visitor services delivery approach:Capital Wi-Fi Network: The deployment of Capital Wi-Fi outdoor service at different landmarks and sites in the heart of Canada’s Capital Region is complete. Residents and visitors alike have access, free of charge, to Wi-Fi service in high traffic pedestrian areas. NEW: The Capital Wi-Fi Network also features indoor Interactive Touch Screen units, which offer free wireless service (Hotspots) as well. The units act as an electronic wayfinding application with content specifically designed for visitors such as maps, interpretation content and much more. More than 40 Interactive Touch Screen units have been deployed at various locations in the Capital Region thanks to the collaboration of cultural, tourism and private partners. Website: The NCC website has been optimized for smart phones and mobile applications. The content of the Visitor Information section has been redesigned to provide visitors with useful information before and during their visit. Capital Tours mobile apps: Capital Tours is the first free interpretive app with walking tours of Canada’s Capital Region. This multi-media enriched app currently offers tours of Parliament Hill grounds and Confederation Boulevard, the Capital's ceremonial and discovery route. Visitors are invited to enjoy these free, GPS-enabled tour experiences. More Capital Tours experiences will be added this summer. Capital Information Kiosk: The Capital Information Kiosk at the World Exchange Plaza (111 Albert Street) offers visitors: o Friendly bilingual staff; o Itinerary planning and information for visitors regarding Canada’s Capital Region; o Sale of museum passports, Gatineau Park and Greenbelt maps; o Internet accommodation reservation station; o A full program for brochure distribution. Roving Interpreters: The NCC has expanded its outdoor roving interpretation service that brings information officers directly to Capital visitors. The information officers, positioned along Confederation Boulevard and in high traffic visitor areas, are equipped with electronic tablets to provide on-the-spot information, orientation and interpretation services (May to September). Decoding Art QR-codes: The third phase of the NCC’s popular Decoding Art QR-codes (quick response barcodes) program is available at various monuments. By scanning those codes with their smartphone, visitors get multimedia content in English or French. There are interpretation clips designed for both adults and children. This spring, the stories of the public art piece Balancing, the Canadian Firefighters Memorial, the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, the public art piece Papa and Tin House were launched. Orientation tools: Information and orientation tools (info map columns and map models) are provided along Confederation Boulevard. Interpretation panels: Interpretation panels about key Capital sites, views and vistas are installed along Confederation Boulevard. These visitor services are in addition to the Discover the Hill program managed by the NCC. For information about the NCC’s visitor services, the public can contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867, 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca.
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